320 likes | 603 Views
Edwards, Wattenberg, and Lineberry Government in America: People, Politics, and Policy Fourteenth Edition. Interest Groups. Chapter 11. The Role of Interest Groups. Interest group
E N D
Edwards, Wattenberg, and Lineberry Government in America: People, Politics, and Policy Fourteenth Edition Interest Groups Chapter 11
The Role of Interest Groups • Interest group • An organization of people with shared policy goals entering the policy process at several points to try to achieve those goals • Interest groups pursue their goals in many arenas. • Interest groups and political parties promote U.S. democracy by linking citizens to the political process. Interest groups are distinct from parties. • Political parties fight election battles; interest groups do not field candidates for office but may choose sides. • Interest groups are policy specialists; political parties are policy generalists.
Theories of Interest Group Politics • Pluralism and Group Theory • Groups provide a key link between the people and the government. • Groups compete and no one group will become too dominant. • Groups play by the “rules of the game.” • Groups weak in one resource may use another. • i.e. all legitimate groups can affect public policy. • Lobbying is open to all so is not a problem.
Theories of Interest Group Politics: Pluralism • Elites and the Denial of Pluralism • Real power is held by the relativelyfew. • The largest corporations hold the most power. • Elite power is fortified by a system of interlocking and concentrated power centers of these corporations and other institutions. • Groups are unequal in power because elites prevail when it comes to big policy decisions. • Lobbying is a problem because it benefits the few at the expense of the many.
Theories of Interest Group Politics: Hyperpluralism • Subgovernments • Networks of groups that exercise a great deal of control over specific policy areas. • Consist of interestgroups, governmentagency, and congressionalcommittees that handle particular policies • Also known as irontriangles • The hyperpluralist critique • Groups have become too powerful as the government tries to appease every interest. • Trying to please every group results in contradictory policies.
Why Join? • Solitary incentives—enjoyment, companionship • Solitary incentives require organizations to structure themselves as coalitions of small local units • Facilitated by the importance of local governments in the U.S. • Examples: League of Women Voters (LWV), NAACP, Rotary, Parent-Teacher Association, American Legion • Material incentives—money, things, services • Organization may also influence how laws are administered to bring benefits to members • Examples: farm organizations, AARP • Purposive incentives—goal/purpose of the organization itself • Though this group also benefits nonmembers, people join because: • They are passionate about the goal(s) of the organization • They have a strong sense of civic duty • Cost of joining is minimal
Fundamental Goals of Interest Groups • Influence public policy • Influence Congress/government • Change laws
What Makes an Interest Group Successful? • The Surprising Ineffectiveness of Large Groups • Potential group: all the people who might be interest group members because they share a common interest • Actual group: the part of the potential group consisting of members who actually join • Collective good: something of value that cannot be withheld from a group member • Example?
What Makes an Interest Group Successful? • Free-Rider Problem • Some people don’t join interest groups because they benefit from the group’s activities without officially joining. • Bigger the group, larger the problem • Large groups are difficult to organize
What Makes an Interest Group Successful? • Small groups are betterorganized and more focused on the group’s goals. • Multinationalcorporations are successful because there are few of them and, therefore, have an easier time organizing for political action. • Consumergroups have a difficult time getting significant policy gains because the benefits are spread over the entire population. • Publicinterestlobbies seek “a collective good, the achievement of which will not selectively and materially benefit the membership activities of the organization.”
What Makes an Interest Group Successful? • Intensity • Single-Issue groups: groups that focus on a narrow interest, dislike compromise, and often draw membership from people new to politics • Groups may focus on an emotionalissue, providing them with a psychological advantage. • Intensity encourages non-conventional means of participation, i.e.—protests
What Makes an Interest Group Successful? • FinancialResources • Not all groups have equal amounts of money. • Monetary donations usually translate into access to the politicians, such as a phone call, meeting, or support for policy. • Wealthier groups have more resources— and presumably more access—but they do not always win on policy.
How Groups Try to Shape Policy • Lobbying • “communication by someone other than a citizen acting on his own behalf, directed to a governmental decisionmaker with the hope of influencing his decision” • Two basic types of lobbyists: • Regular, paid employees of a group • Temporaryhires
An obvious question… • Where are most interest groups located? Washington D.C. • Examples: environmentalists, nurses, automobile manufacturers, automobile assembly-line workers
How Groups Try to Shape Policy • Lobbyists: • are a source of information • help politicians plan political strategies for legislation • help politicians plan political strategies for reelection campaigns • are a source of ideas and innovations.
How Groups Try to Shape Policy • Campaign Contributions • Otherwise known as “electioneering” • Groups can recruit/endorse candidates that will support their positions to run for public office • In many ways, groups speak for those who need representation or buy candidate support. • Provide testimony, and get members to work for candidates; some form PACs • PoliticalActionCommittee (PAC): Political funding vehicles created by 1974 campaign finance reforms, PACs are used by interest groups to donatemoney to candidates. • PACs help pay the bill for increasing campaign costs. • Most PAC money goes to incumbents. • PAC spending makes up a higher percentage of congressional campaign funds than of presidential campaign funds. • The amount of money that PAC’s can contribute directly to a candidate is limited by law.
“The Misplaced Obsession With Political Action Committees” by Sabato • PAC’s are often the source of funding to provide a means of increasing the flow of information • Facts and Myths • Myth- PAC’s are often portrayed as evil and corrupt. • Fact- Many contributions before the 1970’s were more “disturbing and unsavory” • Fact- Independents and Political Parties contributed 3/5 in the House and ¾ in the Senate. • Myth- PAC’s have a bias towards the incumbent. • Fact- Bias is the same in ALL contributions
“The Misplaced Obsession With Political Action Committees” by Sabato • Myth- PAC’s “buy” the votes of the legislature. • Conditions necessary for this to happen: • Issue must be less visible • PAC’s are more influential when issue narrow, specialized, and unopposed by other PAC’s • Fact- The most important factors for determining a representative’s vote is party, ideology, and constituents. • The goal of PAC’s are to elect candidates. Members aren’t likely to go against their district and will often forego PAC money if their vote is perceived as being “bought.” • Madison thought that competing interest groups (factions) would preserve liberty assuming there are two checks: • Free elections with general suffrage • Political Parties
How Groups Try to Shape Policy • Litigation • If an interest group fails in one arena, the courts may be able to provide a remedy. • Interest groups can file amicus curiae briefs to influence a court’sdecision. • amicus curiae: briefs submitted by a “friend of the court” to raise additional points of view and present information not contained in the briefs of the formal parties • ClassActionlawsuits permit a small number of people to sue on behalf of all other people similar situated.
How Groups Try to Shape Policy • Grassroots lobbying/Mass Mobilization • Because public opinion makes its way to policymakers, groups primarily use the media: • cultivate a good public image to build a reservoir of goodwill with the public • use marketing strategies to influence public opinion of the group and its issues • advertise to motivate and inform the public about an issue
Narrowing it down… • The two major ways interest groups achieve their goals is through: • Access to/influence policymakers • Have like-minded people/policy advocated in office.
Periods of Rapid Growth • 70 percent of Washington-based groups have established their D.C. office since the 1960s. • 1770s—independence groups • 1830s, 1840s—religious associations, antislavery movement • 1860s—trade unions, Grange, fraternal organizations • 1880s, 1890s—business associations • 1900–1920—business and professional associations, charitable organizations • 1960s—environmental, consumer, political reform organizations
Types of Interest Groups • Economic Interests • Labor • Agriculture • Business • Environmental Interests • Equality Interests • Consumer and Public Interest Lobbies • Many interest groups are…ideological interest groups—appeal of coherent and, often, controversial principles
A few rules of thumb to keep in mind… • Movement may spawn many organizations • Those in power will not inspire nearly as much participation as those out of power. • More extremeorganizations will be smaller and more activist • Examples? • More moderateorganizations will be larger and less activist
Understanding Interest Groups • Interest Groups and Democracy • In The Federalist Papers, Madison expressed the view that factions are undesirable but inevitable in a free society. • James Madison’s solution to the problems posed by interest groups was to create a wide-open system in which groups compete. • Pluralists believe that the public interest would prevail from this competition. • Elitetheorists point to the proliferation of business PACs as evidence of interest group corruption. • Hyperpluralists maintain that group influence has led to policy gridlock.
Understanding Interest Groups • Interest Groups and the Scope of Government • Interest groups seek to maintain policies and programs that benefit them. • Interest groups continue to pressure government to do more things. • As the government does more, does this cause the formation of more groups? • ABSOLUTELY…The more activities government undertakes, the more interest groups form as a response to those activities. (1960’s)
Summary • Group theories: pluralism, elitism, and hyperpluralism • A number of factors influence a group’s success, i.e., being small • Interest groups affect policy process through lobbying, electioneering, litigation, and going public.