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Interest Groups

Interest Groups. Chapter 11 P. 264-290. Interest group. Interest group An organization of people sharing a common interest or goal that seeks to influence the making of public policy Many kinds of cleavages in the country mean that there are many different interests

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Interest Groups

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  1. Interest Groups Chapter 11 P. 264-290

  2. Interest group • Interest group • An organization of people sharing a common interest or goal that seeks to influence the making of public policy • Many kinds of cleavages in the country mean that there are many different interests • Nearly 7,000 organizations with offices in DC • 50% corporations • 33% professional trade associations • 4% public interest • 2% civil rights P. 268

  3. Explaining Proliferation Birth of Interest Groups Kinds of Organizations Incentives to Join

  4. Reasons why Interest Groups are so Common • Social Diversity/More cleavages in society • Greater the variety of interest groups • Income • Occupation • Religions • Traditions • Cultures • American constitution system • Governmental fragmentation • Federalism • Multiple points of access to government • Political authority is shared by president, courts and Congress • Plenty of places to argue one’s case • Weakness of political parties • Interests work directly on government P. 265

  5. Federalist # 10 • James Madison • Factions • Groups that unite to serve selfish goals not the national interest • “The latent causes of faction are thus sown in the nature of man.” • Framers believed factions were inherently dangerous to political freedom and stable government • Constitution was designed so that • Arbitrary exercise of power by any one group/individual would be prevented

  6. History of Interest Groups • 1770s Groups agitated for independence • 1830s-1840s Anti-slavery groups/religious associations • 1860s Craft unions Farmers’ organizations • 1880s-1890s Business associations • 1900-1920 Best known & largest associations formed • One of the two periods of the greatest growth in the number of groups • 1960-1980 • One of the two periods of the greatest growth in the number of groups • Environmental • Consumer • Political Reform groups Boston Tea Party 1773 P. 266

  7. Four Factors Explain Rise of Interest Groups • Broad economic developments • Farmers • No reason to organize as long as consumed what produced • Cash crops—change • Mass productions • Labor unions • Government policy • Wars create veterans • State governments gave doctors/lawyers authority to decide who is qualified • Congress made employers bargain with unions • Someone exercises leadership • Young/antislavery organizations 1830s and 1840s • Caught up in change • Inspired by some doctrine • More activities government undertakes the more groups there will be • Public interest lobbies • Environment • Consumer protection P. 267

  8. Types of Interest Groups • Institutional • An organization representing other organizations • > 500 • Trade and governmental associations • National Independent Retail Jewelers • American Cotton Manufacturers Institute • National Association of Counties • American Public Transit Association • Foundations and universities • American Council on Education • Membership • Individuals join because of strong sense of civic duty • Belief that organized activity is an effective way to influence government • Nation of joiners • Tendency to join religious, civic or political associations P. 268

  9. Dates of Founding of Organizations Having Washington Offices P. 268

  10. Incentives to join interest groups • Solidary • Sense of pleasure, status, companionship • Local chapters lure members • Importance of local government enhances local chapters forming • League of Women Voters NAACP • PTA Rotary • American Legion • Material benefits • Money, things, services • Illinois Farm Bureau • AARP • Purpose of the organization • Rely on appeal of the stated goal • Appeal to political convictions and principles • Most difficult incentive to use • Right to Life P. 270

  11. Ideological Interest Groups • Organizations that attract members by appealing to their interest/purpose in a coherent set of (usually) controversial principles • Single issues • Narrow focus • Strongly held philosophy • Often work to change cultural norms, values, and prevailing stereotypes • Examples • Conservative • Christian Coalition • Liberal • National Organization of Women

  12. Public Interest Lobby • Public Interest Lobby • Exists when the purpose of the group benefits non-members • Policies are shaped by the elites who lead them • Many formed in the 1960s as a result of government taking on more responsibilities • Representation in Washington skyrocketed since 1970 • Examples • PIRG—Public Interest Research Group • Group organized to study local consumer/political issues • Ralph Nader • Formed Public Citizen • Public Interest Law Firms • Bring suits on behalf of those harmed by some public or private policy • Think Tanks • American Enterprise Institute • ACLU P. 271

  13. The Nader Network • Nader became famous when he took on Detroit testifying before Congress for auto safety • Wrote • Unsafe at Any Speed • Since 1960s Nader spawned more than a dozen interest groups • 2000 Nader ran for president as a Green Party candidate P. 271

  14. Interest Groups and Social Movements Environmental Movement Feminist Movement Union Movement

  15. Social Movements • Widely shared demand for change in the social or political order • Examples • 19th century nativism • Stop immigration • Keep Catholics out of office • Religious revivals • 1960s-1990s • Civil rights • Environmental movement • Feminist movement • Triggers • Scandal • Oil spill in Santa Barbara 1969 • Dramatic and widely publicized activities of a few leaders • Martin Luther King • Gloria Steinem • Coming of age of a new generation that takes up a cause P. 273

  16. Environmental Movement • 1890s Conservation • Sierra Club • 1930s • Wilderness Society • National Wildlife Federation • 1960s • Environmental Defense Fund • Environmental Action P. 274

  17. Feminist Movement • Three kinds of feminist organizations • Solidary • Uneasy about tactics of militancy • League of Women Voters • Federation of Business and Professional Women • Purposive • Strong positions • Tackle divisive issues • Use militant tactics • National Organization of Women NOW • National Abortion Rights Action League NARAL • Material benefits • Legal rights for women • Get women into politics and elected office • Women’s Equity Action League • National Women’s Political Caucus • National Federation of Republican Women P. 274

  18. Union Movement • 1930s • 1945 peak • 36% of non-farm workers were union • 1984 • <19% union • Decline in union membership • Shift in national economic life from industrial to service • Decline in popular approval • Social movement that supported unions faded • Unions remain because they can rely on material benefits • Teaching and government union membership high growth P. 275

  19. The Decline in Union Membership P. 275

  20. Funds for Interest Groups Federal Grants Direct Mail

  21. Funds for Interest GroupsRaising money • Dues • Foundation grants • One study found that 1/3 of public interest lobbying groups received more than half of all their funds from foundation grants • Government grants • Expansion of federal grants in 1960s and 1970s benefited interest groups • Cutbacks in 1980s hurt them • Direct-mail solicitation • Use of computers mail is sent directly to a specialized audience • Approach is also expensive—it must generate checks from at least 2 percent of the people contacted P. 276

  22. The Problem of Bias • The more affluent • The more likely to join and be active • Business/professional groups • More numerous and better financed than • Minorities, consumers, or the disadvantaged P. 278

  23. Limits on Elite Influence • Elites have input in the political system but • Do not control who eventually wins or loses on particular issues • Business groups are • Often divided among themselves

  24. Activities of Interest Groups Information Money and PACs Revolving Door Trouble

  25. LobbyingKey to Political Influence • Generate headlines • Large letter-writing campaign • Protest demonstrations • File suit in federal court • Supply information to key legislators • All require organization P. 279

  26. Lobby • Attempt to influence government decisions especially through legislation • Lobbyists • Develop and maintain • Confidence of the legislator over a long period of time • Contacts and communication lines • Tend to work with politicians with whom they agree • Sometimes work in informal coalitions based on general political ideology • Pressure • Any arguments and inducements supplied by someone with whom you disagree

  27. Lobbying • Political cue • Signal to official telling them what values are at stake • Who is for • Who is against • How issue fits with officer holder’s belief • Liberals look to • AFL-CIO • NAACP • Americans for Democratic Action • Conservatives look to • Chamber of Commerce • National Rifle Association • American Medical Association • Ratings • Way in which cues are made known • AFL-CIO compiles list of who is pro-labor • Americans for Constitutional Action lists who are conservative • Generate public support for or against legislation P. 280

  28. Lobbying • Insider strategy • Lobbyists who work closely with key members of Congress • Face-to-face contact between lobbyist and member or Hill staff • Outsider strategy • Link citizens with the use of • Radio • Television • Internet • Fax • Toll-free phone numbers • Grassroots lobbying • Public pressure directly on officials • Mobilization of the public • Abortion • Medicare • Social security • Environment • Affirmative action P. 280-281

  29. Activities of Interest Groups • Lobbyists’ key targets • Undecided legislator or • Bureaucrat • Some groups attack their likely allies to embarrass them • Some groups try for grassroots support

  30. Money and PACs • PAC • Committee set up to raise and spend money on campaigns and candidates • Money is the least effective way to influence politicians • The Campaign Finance Reform Law of 1974 restricted donations • The rapid growth in PACs has probably not led to vote buying • Even Congressmen may form a PAC and • Many have!! • Ideological PACs raise more money, but • Raising the money also consumes it, so • Less is available to give to campaigns and candidates • In 2003-2004, unions and business or professional organizations gave the most • Incumbents get the most PAC money • Republicans receive the most money from PACS

  31. Spending by Political Action Committees 2003-2004 P. 283

  32. Money and Influence • There is no systematic evidence that PAC money influences votes in Congress • Most members vote in line with their ideology and with their constituents • When an issue is of little concern to voters and ideology provides little guidance, there is a slight correlation between PAC contributions and votes • PAC money may influence politics in other ways, like access or committee actions P. 282-283

  33. Revolving Door Influence • Revolving door • People in government leave to work in private industry as lobbyists, consultants, executives in corporations • This may give private interests a way to improperly influence government decisions • Client politics • When an issue or government process by which an issue is resolved gives an advantage to the supplier of the information and puts a burden on those with contrary information • Example: Federal Communications Commission FCC • Decides who gets licenses • For many years only radio/television broadcasters had any reason to appear • With cable and satellite television now FCC hearings are hotly contested P. 284

  34. Making Trouble • An accepted political tactic of every day middle class citizens • Used since the Revolution • Objective • To disrupt workings of some institutions so that it is forced to negotiate or at least enlist sympathies of others • Examples • Public displays • Disruptive tactics • Protest marches • Sit-ins • Pickets • Violence P. 285

  35. Regulating Interest Groups Campaign Finance Laws

  36. Regulating Interest Groups • Right to lobby is protected by the • First Amendment of the Constitution • Free speech • HOWEVER • Campaign Finance Laws • Impose significant restrictions on how money may be used

  37. Campaign Finance Reform Act 1973 • Restricted amount of money any interest group could give candidates • Legal for corporations and unions to form • Political Action Committees—PACs • Make contributions to candidates • Results • Rapid growth of PACs • 1975-1982 quadrupled in number • > ½ PACs sponsored by corporations • One tenth of PACs are labor unions • Rest are various groups including ideological ones P. 282

  38. Regulating Interest Groups • 1995 Act • Provided a broader definition of lobbying and • Tightened reporting requirements • Tax code • Nonprofits lose tax-exempt status if a “substantial part” of their activities involve lobbying • Sierra Club 1968 • IRS revoked its tax-exempt status because of its extensive lobbying activities • Campaign-finance laws • Limit donations by individual PACs P. 287

  39. Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act 1946 • Requires groups and individuals seeking to influence legislation to • Register with the • Secretary of the Senate and the • Clerk of the House • File quarterly reports • Supreme Court upheld the law but • Restricted its application to lobbying efforts involving direct contacts with members of Congress • Law had little practical effect so in • 1995 Act • Tightened registration and disclosure • Broadened the definition of a lobbyist P. 286-287

  40. Ethics in Government Act 1978 • Broadened rules governing conflicts of interest among senior members of the executive branch • President, VP, GS-16 and above must file • Public financial disclosure report each year • Indicating source and amount of income • Former executive branch employees may NOT • Represent anyone before former agencies in connection with any matter that the employee was involved in • Appear before an agency for two years after leaving government on matters that were within their responsibility • Represent anyone on any matter before their former agency for one year after leaving government P. 285

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