1. Chapter 10: Interest Groups

2. Interest Groups: A Natural Phenomenon
In Democracy in America, Alexis de Tocqueville wrote “... in no country of the world has the principle of association been more successfully used or applied to a greater multitude of objectives than in America.”
Alexis de Tocqueville was a French political thinker and historian who studied social equality and its effect on individuals and society.
Alexis de Tocqueville
Art Resources
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Interest Groups
If de Tocqueville was amazed at how associations had flourished in the United States in 1834, he would be astounded at the number of associations today.
Research indicates that two-thirds of Americans belong to at least one group or association.
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4. Interest Group Formation
First Amendment guarantees facilitate group formation
Racial, ethnic and religious diversity gives rise to diverse views
Social changes, economic pressures and technological developments disturb the status quo, leading to group formation
Examples: industrialization, urbanization, civil rights movement
The Internet has also given rise to a number of interest groups who wish to organize on a low budget, remain outside the mainstream, or operate anonymously.
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5. Fortune’s “Power 25” The 10 Most Effective Interest Groups
Rank
Organization
Website 1
National Rifle Association 2
AARP 3
National Federation of Independent Business 4
American Israel Public Affairs Committee 5
Association of Trial Lawyers of America 6
American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) 7
Chamber of Commerce of the U.S.A. 8
National Beer Wholesalers Association 9
National Association of Realtors 10
National Association of Manufacturers
Fortune, May 2005
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6. Other Important Interest Groups
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
American Legion
American Library Association
Handgun Control, Inc.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD)
National Audubon Society
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
National Organization for Women (NOW)
National Urban League
Sierra Club
Veterans of Foreign Wars
World Wildlife Fund
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7. Interest Groups in the U.S.
Why have interest groups been so successful in the United States?
Advance personal economic well-being
Advocate personal opinion on an issue
Meet like-minded citizens
Way to participate in democratic society
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8. Problems with Interest Groups
Free rider problem
Solidarity Incentives
Material Incentives
Purposive Incentives
Retaining members
The “iron triangle” (interest groups, members of Congress, and federal agencies)
Members tend to join the groups which benefit them if they believe their individual efforts will make a difference to the success of group. Thus, smaller groups (the Smithville PTA, the Yale Biotech Student Interest Group) are more likely to enroll members who will give time and funding.
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9. Economic Interest Groups
Formed to advance economic interests of members
Trade and Professional Associations
Business Interest Groups
Agricultural Interest Groups
Labor Interest Groups
Public Employee Unions
The unorganized poor
Business Interest Groups (U.S. Chamber of Commerce)
Agricultural Interest Groups (American Farm Bureau Federation)
Labor Interest Groups (American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO)
Public Employee Unions (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees)
Interest Groups of Professionals (American Bar Association)
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10. Contemporary Interest Groups
Business-oriented interest groups dominate the system.
SOURCE: Frank R. Baumgartner and Beth L. Leech, “Interest Niches and Policy Bandwagons: Patterns of
Interest Group Involvement in National Politics,” Journal of Politics 63 (November, 2001): 1191–1213.
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11. Other Types of Interest Groups
Environmental Groups
Sierra Club
Public Interest Groups
Nader organizations
Common Cause
The League of Women Voters
Single-issue focused groups
Mothers Against Drunk Driving
Foreign Policy Groups
The Coalition to Save Darfur
Nader co-founded the non-governmental group Public Citizen as an umbrella organization to oversee interest groups involved in environmental, health, economic and other issues. Activists known as “Nader’s Raiders” have written dozens of books detailing investigations of government corruption.
Ralph Nader
© 2004 AP/Wide World Photos
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Labor Interest Groups
Labor unions seek agreements with businesses and work to influence government policy
To protect workers’ jobs and benefits
Ensure safety of workplace
AFL-CIO: A union of unions with 11 million workers
2005: Change to Win Coalition
Fifty-six unions make up the AFL-CIO, including such diverse groups as the Airline Pilots Association, the American Radio Association and the National Association of Letter Carriers.
Six unions and six million workers make up the Change to Win coalition.
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13. Decline in Union Membership
As a percentage of employed workers, union membership peaked in the early 1950s. Today, unions represent about 13% of workers.
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Union Membership
About 13% of workers now represented by a union (down from 35% in 1955)
Decline in political clout
Hurt by global competition
(AP Photo/The Capital Times/David Sandell)
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15. What Do Interest Groups Do?
Inform
Lobby
Campaign Activities
Political Action Committees
Issue Advocacy
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16. What Makes an Interest Group Powerful?
Sources of power
Size
Resources
Leadership
Cohesiveness
Interest groups which are large in size typically have the greatest financial resources, even if dues are relatively low. Strong leaders with high profiles (think Jesse Jackson) can be very influential for relatively small groups.
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17. Not All Interest Groups Are Created Equal
This story shows Sarah Palin and tea party supporters during a rally and describes their views on government spending. Airdate: 4/14/2010
Click the icon to open the movie
Video Supplied by Motion Gallery
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Video Questions
Why are the views of tea party supporters somewhat contradictory?
What do the demographics of tea party groups reveal?
Do you see tea party groups as organized? Do they have political clout?
What elements of effective interest groups do they lack?
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19. Interest Group Strategies
Direct Techniques
Lobbying
Publishing the voting records of legislators
Building alliances
Campaign assistance
Most lobbyists today are paid professionals, with over 12,000 registered lobbyists currently operating.
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20. Interest Group Strategies (cont)
Indirect Techniques
Generating public pressure
Using constituents as lobbyists
Unconventional forms of pressure (marches, rallies, and demonstrations)
Indirect techniques mask the interest group’s own activities, making the efforts appear spontaneous. This type of contact is often more influential than contact from traditional lobbyists.
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Regulating Lobbyists
The Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act (1946)
Required registration of lobbyists
Proven ineffective, however, as only full-time lobbyists had to register.
The Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act (1946) required that individuals or organizations that receive money for the purpose of influencing national legislation must register as a lobbyist or lobbying organization, and registered lobbyists must make public quarterly reports about all lobbying activity.
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The Reforms of 1995
In 1995, Congress overhauled the lobbying legislation. New requirements:
A lobbyist is a person who spends 20 percent of the time or more lobbying Congress, their staffs or the executive branch.
Lobbyists who earn $5,000 or more must register within 45 days of making contact with a member of Congress.
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The Reforms of 1995 (cont)
Detailed reports must disclose the nature of the lobbying business twice a year.
Subsidiaries of foreign companies based in the United States, must register as lobbyists.
Tax-exempt organizations and religious organizations are exempt from these requirements.
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24. Recent Lobbying Scandals: Jack Abramoff
Abramoff is a former lobbyist serving time for fraud and the corruption of public officials. He was convicted of defrauding Native American tribes of tens of millions of dollars related to gaming interests. The corruption investigation also involved White House officials, members of Congress, aides and other lobbyists.
© 2006 Time, Inc./Getty Images. Reprinted by permission.
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25. Interest Groups and Representative Democracy
Interest Groups: Elitist or Pluralist?
The existence of interest groups would appear to be an argument in favor of pluralism. However, interest groups are often led by upper-class individuals, which argues for elite theory.
Interest Group Influence
Even the most powerful groups do not always succeed in their demands.
The most successful groups focus on single issue.
Single issue interest groups include NARAL Pro-Choice America, the National Right to Life Committee, Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the National Rifle Association.
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26. Interest Groups and the Operation of the Economy
This story examines the effects of bankruptcy on GM and the country’s economy. Airdate: 9/3/2009
Click the icon to open the movie
Video Supplied by Motion Gallery
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Video Questions
Which interest groups supported the GM bailout? Which groups were likely opposed?
How do consumers feel about the government helping out ailing industries? Are they likely to make their views known?
Why was bankruptcy the best option for GM?
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28. Interest Groups and the Policy Process
Interest groups, in spite of all their flaws, do supplement formal channels of representation and allow for the expression of public opinion in an organized way. But, even organized, active groups do not always represent all they claim to represent (for example the AMA).
Courtesy of Handgun Control, Inc.
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29. Questions for Critical Thinking
How have labor interest groups traditionally sought to influence policy?
How did interest groups influence the health care reform policy process?
What would motivate you to participate in an interest group? What are the incentives for the people that you know who are active in interest groups?
What are the concerns of interest groups which are most active in your community?
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Web Links
The Center for Public Integrity
Opensecrets.org-Money in Politics Data
Common Cause—Holding Power Accountable
Federal Election Commission
Public Citizen
The Center for Public Integrity
A nonprofit center dedicated to government accountability, ethics, and campaign finance reform. The center’s research includes investigative reports, newsletters, and databases.
The Center for Responsive Politics
A nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that tracks money in politics and its effects on public policy and elections. Contains extensive data about lobbyists, soft money contributions, PACs, presidential and congressional races, and political donors.
Common Cause
A nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that promotes government accountability. Provides a database of soft money contributions through the 2002 congressional elections to the Republican and Democratic Parties by donor name, donor location, or industry, as well as news about a wide range of government agencies and topics. After 2002, Congress banned soft money contributions.
Federal Election Commission
The branch of the federal government that oversees federal elections. Provides a citizens’ guide to elections, including current rules for upcoming campaigns, how to support a candidate, and FEC publications.
Public Citizen
Founded by Ralph Nader in 1971, Public Citizen calls itself “the consumer’s eyes and ears in Washington.” Its searchable database includes information about auto safety, congressional voting, and First Amendment issues, as well as the organization’s publications.
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Web Links
AFL-CIO—America’s Union Movement
Moveon.org: Democracy in Action
Christian Coalition of America
Third Wave Foundation
AARP
The home page of the largest union in America, the AFL-CIO,
contains official union documents and press releases, news on issues
important to the labor movement, a link to information on high
corporate executive salaries in the United States, and links to other
labor-related groups.
MoveOn.org is an organization that promotes a liberal agenda.
The Christian Coalition is a conservative grassroots political organization
for people of faith interested in promoting issues associated with the Christian right.
The Third Wave Foundation is a national activist philanthropic
organization for young women. The organization supports
and involves young women in a broad range of movements, including
campaigning for a living wage, environmental protection, and
reproductive rights.
AARP maintains an excellent website. It allows you to learn
about AARP’s position and congressional testimony on issues
affecting the elderly and to review the myriad of benefits offered by
the organization, along with much more.
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