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Interest Groups in Texas GOVT 2306
Along with political parties, interest groups are private organizations that attempt to influence public policies. But they do so without seeking public office, so they do not have to deal with the electoral rules that condition the nature of political parties.
Rather than only having two major political parties, there are thousands of groups in the state that focus on the needs of discreet, isolated groups within the state. In addition, there are national interest groups within the state that tie the interests of state residents with those of the nation as a whole.
What are interest groups?There are many definitions, here’s one from the Encyclopedia Britannica.
“interest group, also called special interest group or pressure group, any association of individuals or organizations, usually formally organized, that, on the basis of one or more shared concerns, attempts to influence public policy in its favor.”
James Madison noted the tendency of people to form groups, as well as the fact that in a free society these groups must exist, and will be clustered around the various interests that exist in society at any moment in time. He called them factions. Here is his definition of factions:
“By a faction, I understand a number of citizens, whether amounting to a majority or a minority of the whole, who are united and actuated by some common impulse of passion, or of interest, [adverse] to the rights of other citizens, or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the community.”
This is a critical point: Interest groups exist because the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees both the right of people to peacefully assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
One quick point however: Madison doesn’t say anything about what these factions would actually look like. Todays interest groups are organized groups with staffs and funding sources, not ad-hoc groups.
There are a large number of interest groups in Texas. Generally we assume that the number of interest groups that exist in the state corresponds to the number of interests that exist in the state.
Interest groups are a consequence of individual freedom.But they can pose a major problem for democracies.
Madison warned against the evolution of majority factions since they could turn democracies into tyrannies. He suggested that large number of interests would divide these majority groups into smaller segments and make majority tyranny less likely to occur.
The more interest groups that exist, the less dynamic government can become. A minority group “may clog the administration” and “convulse the society.” Either option is better than tyranny, but it does have consequences.
1 - It can lead to gridlock2 – It can lead to unresponsive government
The principle problem is that connected groups may be able to establish politics that benefit them and make it difficult for those policies to be changed. This can make it difficult for changes to be made since those changes might jeopardize the benefits already received by groups.
Mancur Olson, in a book entitled the Rise and Decline of Nations, argued that as societies develop, strong special interest lobbies evolve that make them less efficient and dynamic.
“The thesis of this brilliant book is that the longer a society enjoys political stability, the more likely it is to develop powerful special-interest lobbies that in turn make it less efficient economically.”
Jonathan Rauch builds on this idea and calls it Demosclerosis.He argues that the rise of interest groups has led to a type of paralysis in government. Demosclerosis is democratic government's progressive loss of the ability to adapt.
Once programs are established, groups that benefit from them coalesce around the programs and do what they can to keep it in place as is. Any change can jeopardize their interests.
As we will see below, interest groups (the good ones) are able to cobble relationships with the principle actors involved in a program that benefits them, and this is the mechanism that enhances and maintains their interests.
There are many ways to categorize interest groups – no one is necessarily better than any other. Its not like our ability to categorize governing institutions into those that are legislative, executive, or judicial in function.
For lists you might want to look at these: - Tannahill- Cliff’s Notes- X-Roads- Pearson
They types of interest groups that exist mirrors they types of interests that exist in the state – and by extension the nation.
Tannahill’s list is typical, he cites the following: Business Groups and Trade AssociationsProfessional AssociationsOrganized LaborAgricultural GroupsRacial and Ethnic Minority GroupsReligious Groups
A simpler way to approach this question is to divide groups into these two types: public and private.
The simple difference between the two is that public groups address issues that are common to everyone (like clean air and education) while private groups address issues that benefit their members (like business and professional organizations and labor unions).With that in mind: all groups like to argue that the benefits they receive will at least indirectly benefit the public welfare.
An example of a Texas public interest group: Environment Texas
An example of a Texas private interest group:Texas Business AllianceWhich some argue may be the most powerful interest group in the state.
Sometimes drawing a precise distinction between public and private groups is difficult.
Texans for Lawsuit Reform can be considered to be both a public interest group and a private group. Limits on lawsuits are argued to enhance business opportunities and the jobs that come with it, which benefits the overall economy, but it provides specific benefits for businesses that engage in enterprises that make them subject to lawsuits.
Why does this distinction matter? Because it tells us something about the dynamics of group formation, even though we are a majoritarian democracy, the larger groups may be less powerful than the smaller groups.
1 - Organize individuals with similar interests 2 - Organize electoral competition 3 - Organize government 4 - Link the state and local political system to the national political system.
While people may have a shared interest in some matter, that is seldom enough. Interest do not speak for themselves. There has to be an organized method in place to represent those interests. But this can be difficult to do.
Problem: Not all interests are easily converted into groups.Not every group can easily overcome the free rider problem.
Here’s the basic question presented by the Free Rider Problem:Why work for collectively for a groups’ goals if you will benefit from it even if you don’t do any work? If the benefit can’t be separated between those who contribute and those who do not.
If you’ve ever tried to organize a group of people you know this.
There is little need to join a group, if you will benefit from the group’s efforts even if you do not contribute. But if everyone thinks this way, the group will not form, and its objectives will not be reached.
For a more thorough definitions of the Free Rider Problem: Stanford
In order for a group to be formed, there has to be a driving force making it happen. A political entrepreneur has to develop incentives for people to join the group. They have to convince members to avoid the temptation to free rider.
Notable Policy Entrepreneurs:Richard Mellon ScaifeJames Leininger
