1. Interest Groups Ch. 16 What is an interest group? What are some examples of interest groups? What is the difference between an interest group and a political party?

2. Why does the formation of groups matter?  Enhances social capital relationships people have that help solve community problems through group action  Civic virtue Tendency to form small-scale groups for public good Improved political/econ. development  Give un(der)represented people opportunity to have voices heard (more democratic)  Offers powerful/wealthy greater access & influence on policy makers at all levels

3. What is an interest group?  Interest group—organized group that tries to influence public policy Major difference between interest group and political party is that interest groups DO NOT run candidates for office  David B. Truman: one of first political scientists to study interest groups Pluralist theory—political power is distributed among diverse & competing interest groups Disturbance theory—any time there is a disturbance in the political system, an interest group forms (groups counteract other groups) Transactions theory—public polices are the result of narrowly defined exchanges among political forces  Rejects pluralist approach: not rational to form a group; groups that do represent elites

4. M. Olson: Logic of Collective Action  Father of transactions theory Collective goods=no groups, since can gain benefits of others (“free riders”)  Population ecology theory—life of a political organization is conditional on diversity/density of interest group population in an area People will create small groups if necessary to prevent free riders (Civil Rights Movement) “The flaw in pluralist heaven is that the heavenly chorus sings with a strong upper- class bias.”

5. Kinds of Organized Interests  Generally, interest groups describe many organized groups that try to influence government policy  Public Interest Groups—seeks a collective good that will not benefit group members (Progressives)  Economic Interest Groups—promotes financial interests of its members (AMA, AFL- CIO)  Governmental Units— state and local gov’ts lobby for funding earmarks—funds specifically for program within state or district  Political Action Committees—federally regulated fund-raising committee that represent interest groups (1974); no formal members  Multi- and single-issue groups

6. Development of American Interest Groups  National groups emerge (1830-1889) Communication networks enabled nationalization of groups First were single-issue groups deeply rooted in the Christian religious revivalism  Temperance, Peace, Education, and Slavery Other groups emerged after the Civil War One of the most effective: Central Pacific Railroad  Sent lobbyist to D.C. in 1861 (later in charge of oversight of RR) Lobbyists  Interest group representative who seeks to influence legislation that will benefit his or her organization through political persuasion

8.  The Progressive Era (1890-1920) Grew out of concern for impact of rapid industrialization, influx of immigration, monopolistic business practices, crime, poverty, poor working conditions Organized Labor  AFL (American Federation of Labor)  Clayton Act: allowed unions to organize free from prosecution and guaranteed their right to strike Business Groups and Trade Associations  Trade Associations: a group that represents a specific industry  Unfair bribery tactics, gifts, contributions NELA, NAM

9. The Rise of the Interest Group State  1960s and 1970s saw a reappearance of the Progressive spirit Civil Rights Women’s Rights Elderly Poor Consumers Environment  Common Cause (watchdog group)  Ralph Nader’s Public Citizen (investigatory litigation center)  Conservative Response: Religious and Ideological Groups Jerry Falwell and the Moral Majority Pat Robertson, the 700 Club and the Christian Coalition National Rifle Association

10. Business Groups, Corporations, and Associations  Rise in business advocacy groups  More political than Chamber of Commerce Example: The Business Roundtable  Created in 1972  Urges member to engage in direct lobbying to influence the course of public policy  Most large corporations have them Own governmental affairs department Employ D.C.-based lobbyists to keep them apprised of legislation Gave substantial soft money in the past Still use PACs, 527s, and thus contribute a great deal of money

11. Organized Labor  Began to emerge as powerful player early in the 20 th century Could turn out members Focus not only on labor issues, but also other issues of concern to its members  More recently labor has lost some clout Membership down “pale, male, stale”