Interest Groups

Interest Groups

•Political and social organizations•Represent special interests•Range from very liberal to very

conservative•Lobby officials to improve personal or

societal conditions

Tactics Used by Interest Groups• Organization is essential!

▫ Small, well-organized groups may be more influential than a big, poorly organized group

• Need access to an official▫ Sometimes use a celebrity (Michael J Fox, Angelina Jolie, Bono)

• Must persuade and inform officials▫ Offer arguments, evidence, & research▫ Publish findings influence public opinion influence policy decisions

• Can offer material incentives▫ Laws limit officials from taking gifts, but, they can still be wined and

dined or flown to enticing locations for meetings• Use economic leverage to get what they want

▫ Rich interest groups contribute to campaigns, run advertisements, pay for research, etc.

▫ Boycotts & strikes work too• Disrupt activities, generate publicity, and apply pressure on those

they oppose▫ Strikes, riots, sit-ins

• Sue groups they oppose (litigate)▫ Example: NAACP sued segregated schools, leading to Brown Vs. Board

of Education in 1954

“Inside Game” - Lobbying• Attempts to persuade government officials through direct

inside contact• Lobbyists work for special interest groups,

corporations, or law firms that specialize in lobbying• Requires $$$$

▫ Even maintaining an office in DC is expensive▫ Pay for meals, trips, operational expenses

• Requires honesty & good reputation• Target members of all 3 branches in government

▫ Affect legislation generated in Congress▫ Target regulatory agencies in the executive branch▫ File amicus curiae briefs presenting arguments in favor of

a particular issue to the courts

Outside Game – Public Pressure• Convince ordinary citizens to pressure representatives• Grassroots Activism – mobilize people to achieve the interest group’s

goal▫ Shows officials that the public supports a cause▫ Rallies & marches▫ Letter-writing campaigns▫ Petitions▫ Hill visits▫ Institutional advertising

• Electoral Strategies – officials want to be reelected, so they listen to their constituents ▫ Rally voters to the cause▫ Contribute money to reelection campaigns through PACS

Political Action Committees are theoretically independent of interest groups Can only give $10,000 total to each candidate Use of soft money (contribution to political party) was banned in 2002 by

the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act

Types of Interest Groups• Economic Groups – seek economic advantage for

their members▫4 types: business, labor, agricultural, and professional

associations▫Work to win private goods ( benefits for only members

of the group)▫Example: labor union members benefit from new

contract, while nonunion members do not▫Business Groups – most common type

Some lobbyists work for a single corporation, while some work for associations of businesses in the same industry

Tend to be well funded & very influential▫Labor Groups – represent unions

Types of Interest Groups• Noneconomic Groups – citizens’ groups – fight for causes, not

material gain▫ Seek public goods that benefit everyone in society▫ 4 main types: public interest groups, single-issue groups, ideological

groups, & government groups• Public Interest Groups – try to improve society (environment,

democracy, etc.)• Single-Issue Groups – work solely on one issue

▫ Number growing▫ Examples: National Rifle Association & Operation Rescue

• Ideological Groups – broader aims rooted in a common philosophy▫ Work to change culturla norms, values, & stereotypes▫ Examples: Christian Coalition & Traditional Values Coalition

(conservative); NOW and NAACP (liberal)• Government Groups – represent levels of government (city or

state lobbies in Washington)

Pros & Cons• Interest groups generate controversy• Pluralism – interest groups work against each other,

balancing each other out so the common good is achieved (Federalist #10)▫ Prevent a minority from imposing its will on the majority▫ Flaw – is there a common good when there are so many

interests in society?▫ Interest groups advocate for a minority of people (NRA

Example)▫ Interest group system only really effective for economic groups▫ Groups ignore desires of the poor

• Hyperpluralism caters to interest groups, not people▫ Leads to demosclerosis – inability of gov. to accomplsh

anything substantial

Review

•What are the 2 big categories of interest groups?

•What is lobbying?•Why are financial resources critical to

success for interest groups?•What is the ‘good side’ of pluralism?•Why do some people criticize pluralism?•What is the difference between an interest

group and a Political Action Committee?