1. Chapter 7
Interest Groups

2. What Are Interest Groups?
An organized group that tries to influence public policy
David Truman
One of first to study interest groups
Posed Disturbance Theory
Theory that interest groups form in part to counteract the efforts of other groups.

3. What Are Interest Groups?
Robert Salisbury
Expanded Truman’s theory
Groups form when resources are inadequate or scarce
Stressed the role that leaders play: entrepreneurs

4. Why Interest Groups are Common
Many kinds of cleavages in the country mean that there are many different interests

5. Why Interest Groups are Common
The Constitution provides many access points to government
Political parties are weak so interests work directly on government

6. Kinds of Organized Interests
Generally, interest groups is a term used to describe the numerous organized groups that try to influence government policy.
Public Interest Groups
Economic Interest Groups
Governmental Units
Political Action Committees
Multi-Issue versus Single Issue Groups

7. Profiles of Selected Interest Groups

8. The Roots & Development of American Interest Groups
National groups emerge ( )
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
Lobbyists
Interest group representative who seeks to influence legislation that will benefit his or her organization through political persuasion.

9. NRA membership

10. The Roots & Development of American Interest Groups
The Progressive Era ( )
Grew out of concern for impact of rapid industrialization, influx of immigration, monopolistic business practices, crime, poverty, poor working conditions
Organized Labor
AFL
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
National Electric Light Association

11. Labor Union Membership

12. 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 and Ralph Nader’s Public Citizen
Conservative Backlash: Religious and Ideological Groups
Jerry Falwell and the Moral Majority
Pat Robertson, the 700 Club and the Christian Coalition
National Rifle Association

13. 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
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

14. Organized Labor
Began to emerge as powerful player early in the 20th 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

15. What Do Interest Groups Do?
Lobbying
The activities of a group or organization that seeks to influence legislation and persuade political leaders to support the group’s position
23 ways for lobbyists and organizations to lobby on the state and national level
Most often they: testify at legislative hearings, contact government officials directly, help draft legislation

16. Groups and Lobbyists

17. Lobbying Congress Members of Congress = targets of lobbyists
Many lobbyists former members
Former Senators Bob Dole (R-KS) and George Mitchell (D-ME) earn well over a million dollars a year as Washington lobbyists.

18. Lobbying Congress
Today lobbyists try to develop close relationships with members to gain access to the process of policy making.
Information is critical.
Lobbyists also work most closely with representatives who are their friends.
“Revolving Door”

19. The “Revolving Door”
Federal government workers leave to take more lucrative positions in private industry (lobbying, consulting, executive positions)
This may give private interests a way to improperly influence government decisions

20. Attempts to Reform Congressional Lobbying
Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act, 1946
Lobbying Disclosure Act, 1995
Employs a strict definition of lobbyist
Requires lobbyists to:
Register with the clerk of the House and the secretary of the Senate
Report their clients and issues and the agency or house they lobbied
Estimate the amount they are paid by each client
Makes it easier for watchdog groups to track the lobbying activity

21. The Ethics in Government Act

22. Lobbying the Executive Branch
As the scope of federal government has expanded, so has lobbying of the executive branch
Many potential access points
Lobbyist seek influence at formation and implementation stages.
An especially strong link exists between interest groups and regulatory agencies.

23. Lobbying the Courts Can take two forms
Direct sponsorship
Filing amicus curiae briefs
Brief that informs the court of the group’s policy preferences, generally in guise of legal arguments
Interest groups also attempt to influence who is nominated and placed on the bench.

24. Grassroots Lobbying
A form of pressure-group activity that attempts to involve individuals who contact their representatives directly in an effort to influence policy
Persuading ordinary voters to act as the group’s advocates

25. Astroturf Lobbying
Efforts - usually led by interest groups (or Corporations) with deep financial pockets - to create synthetic grass-roots movements by aggressively encouraging voters to contact their elected officials about specific issues.

26. Protest Activities
Some groups resort to more forceful, legal as well as illegal measures to attract attention to their cause.
Sometimes violent, illegal protest (Boston Tea Party, Shay’s Rebellion)
Civil Rights Movement
Marches with permits legal

27. Election Activities Candidate recruitment and endorsements
Getting out the vote
Rating the candidates or office holders
Political action committees

28. Incentives to Join Solidary incentives—pleasure, companionship
Material incentives—money, things, services
Purposive incentives—goal/purpose of the organization itself
2 types –Ideological and Public Interest

29. What Makes An Interest Group Successful?
Leaders
Patrons and Funding
Person who finances a group or individual activity
Members
Free riders: potential members fail to join a group because they can get the benefit, or collective good, sought by the group without contributing to it.

30. Potential Versus Actual Interest Group Members

31. Interest Groups as Factions
Madison (Federalist 10) – his description of factions defines the interest groups found today
Madison’s broad language “The latent causes of faction are sown in the nature of man..” predicted the potential for multiple factions on many topics
Definition: People who share common goals, interact with each other, and organize to affect the public agenda.

32. Interest Groups as linkage institutions
Strategies to influence the public agenda
* Information & education of public,
Congress, White House, etc.
* Mass media appeal
* Mass mailings
* Electioneering activities:
campaigning, issue ads, etc.
* Political Action Committees (PACs)

33. Interest Groups’ Influence
Positive: Advantage for democracy because it allows individual citizens to influence government in ways that are beyond their ballot – links them to the public agenda
Negative: The poorer citizens & those in minorities are poorly represented / there is too much money involved in the process (elitist) / and there is too much opportunity for influence of the public agenda to be purchased