Interest Groups

1. Interest Groups AP US Government Mrs. Lacks

2. Definition • An organized group of people who share some goals and try to influence public policy. • Purpose and priority of an interest group? • Purpose and priority of a political party?

3. Role & Functions of Interest Groups (5) • Representation – interest of members • Political Participation – enable people to participate • Education – members, public, & government officials (About issues of interest & why IG goals should be supported) • Agenda building- push new issues onto public agenda (Examples: Consumer protection & Veterans issues) • Program Monitoring- watch how laws are administered (Assess Federal or State Government regulation)

4. Growth of Interest Groups • History & evolution of “factions” • De Tocqueville’s observations “forming associations” • Anti-slavery association of 1833 • National Woman Suffrage Association of 1869 • The Grange of 1860s (anti-Railroad monopolies) • Significant Interest Group (IG) growth since 1942: • From 600 IGs in 1942 to => 7000+ in 1995

6. Increased Demands of Government • More demands of public placed on Government: • Civil Right & Anti-Vietnam War Legacy • Improvements & advances in technology • Rise of new issues almost every day

7. Diversity of Organized Interests • Three general categories of Interest Groups: • Economic Interest Groups • Citizen Interest Groups • Government Interest Groups

8. Economic Interest Groups (4) Business Groups Organized Labor Agricultural Groups Professional Associations

9. Economic Interest Groups • 1. Business: • Chamber of Commerce • Trade Associations (Alliance of Automobile Man.) • 2. Organized Labor • AFL-CIO • Amer. Fed. Of Teachers

10. Trade Associations • An organization that represents firms within a particular industry • There are over 7,600 national trade associations in the United States, with a large number (approximately 2,000) headquartered in the Washington, DC area.

11. Labor Unions • legally recognized as representatives of workers in many industries. • most prominent unions are among public sector employees such as teachers and police. • Activity centers on collective bargainingover wages, benefits, and working conditions and on representing their members if management attempts to violate contract provisions. • Most are aligned with one of two larger umbrella organizations: the AFL-CIO created in 1955 and the Change to Win Federation, which split from the AFL-CIO in 2005. Both advocate policies and legislation on behalf of workers, and take an active role in politics.

12. Decline in Union Membership Historical Statistics of the United States, vol. 1, 178; Statistical Abstract of the United States, 1998, 444; U.S. Census Bureau; Statistical Abstract of the United States, 2003, 432, 433.

13. Right to Work States • Right-to-work laws are statutes enforced in twenty-two US states, mostly in the southern or western U.S., allowed under provisions of the Taft-Hartly Act, which prohibit agreements between labor unions and employers making membership or payment of union dues or fees a condition of employment, either before or after hiring. • What’s a statute? • a law established by a legislative body • a permanent established rule or law, especially one involved in the running of a company or other organization

14. Economic Interest Groups • 3. Agricultural Groups: • American Farm Bureau (large farms) • National Farmer’s Union (smaller farms) • 4. Professional Associations: • (AMA, ABA, American Optometric Assoc.) • Also for advancement of women & minorities: • American Association for University Women • National Association for Black Accountants

15. Citizen Groups • Citizen Groups: purpose is to promote group vision of public good • American Civil Liberties Union & NRA • Single issue groups (NAACP, Greenpeace, NOW)

16. 527 Organizations • Tax exempt organization named after Section 527 of the US Internal Revenue Code • created primarily to influence the selection, nomination, election, appointment or defeat of candidates to federal, state or local public office. • Technically, almost all political committees, including state, local, and federal candidate committees, traditional political action committees, "Super PACs", and political parties are "527s." • However, in common practice the term is usually applied only to such organizations that are not regulated under state or federal campaign finance laws because they do not "expressly advocate" for the election or defeat of a candidate or party. • No upper limits on contributions, just must register with the IRS • May not advocate for specific candidates; use issue advocacy • Examples: EMILY’s List, Progress for the American Voter Fund, Texans for Truth, etc.

17. Government Interest Groups State Governments Foreign Governments Local Governments

18. Coalitions and Divisions • Groups of similar interests join in coalitions • The Military Coalition => military & VA benefits • Environmental & Nature Conservation groups • Groups might also divide or realign on various issues (ex. NAFTA issue)

19. Interest Group Resources • Members: attract, maintain, Free-rider problem (People or groups who benefit from the efforts of others without bearing any of the costs) • Lobbyists • PAC’s: an organization that pools campaign contributions from group members and donates those funds to candidates for political office • Litigating (law suits)

20. Members • Incentives to Join: • Solitary incentives—pleasure, companionship • Material incentives—money, things, services • Purposive incentives—goal/purpose of the organization itself

21. Lobbying • Trying to influence governmental decisions, especially the voting decisions legislators make on proposed legislation. • Credible information key to effectively lobbying • Usually lobby officials of similar views • Support draft legislation & research • Lobbyists know how government process works • Many are former Executive appointees or Congressmen • Problem: potential conflict of interest

22. Types of Lobbying • Direct Lobbying: Trying to influence public policy through direct contact with government officials. • Education Campaigns: Interest groups try to mobilize the public through education hoping that the public will demand government action. (ex. Civil Rights Movement) • Advocacy Advertising: Newspaper, television, and radio advertisements that promote an interest group's political views. (Internet, direct mail) • Grass-Roots Lobbying: Trying to influence public policy indirectly by mobilizing an interest group's membership and the broader public to contact elected officials.

23. PACs • Since election reforms of early ‘70s => • PACs grew significantly at different rates (Fig. 10-1) • Various categories of PACs grew at different rates • Corporate (most growth) • Non-connected • Trade, Membership, & Health • Labor (in decline) • Other PACs (Table 10-1 examples) • PAC spending has also changed with the Political climate

24. Super PACs • officially known as "independent-expenditure only committees” • may not make contributions to candidate campaigns or parties, but may engage in unlimited political spending independently of the campaigns • Also unlike traditional PACs, they can raise funds from corporations, unions and other groups, and from individuals, without legal limits • Super PACs were made possible by two judicial decisions. • January 2010 the U.S. Supreme Court held in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission that government may not prohibit unions and corporations from making independent expenditure for political purposes. • March 2010: Speechnow.org v. FEC, the federal Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit held that PACs that did not make contributions to candidates, parties, or other PACs could accept unlimited contributions from individuals, unions, and corporations (both for profit and not-for-profit) for the purpose of making independent expenditures. • The result of the Citizens United and SpeechNow.org decisions was the rise in 2010 of a new type of political action committee, popularly dubbed the "super PAC".

25. Growth of PACs (1974 – 2004)

26. PAC Spending (2003 – 2004)

28. Changes in PAC Spending to Congress 1993-1994 PACs gave nearly two-thirdsof their congressional campaign contributions to Democratic candidates when the Democrats were the majority party on Capitol Hill.

29. Changes in PAC Spending to Congress 1997-1998 When the Republican Party gained control of Congress, that donation pattern reversed. During the 1997-1998 election cycle, Republican candidates received a majority of PAC contributions.

30. Issue Networks • an alliance of various interest groups and individuals who unite in order to promote a single issue in government policy • can be either domestic or international in scope • many are active solely within the domain of the Internet • Usually push for a change in policy within the government bureaucracy • Example: the wide ranging network of environmental groups and individuals who push for more environmental regulation in government policy

31. Iron Triangles • mutually beneficial relationships between interest groups, usually private businesses and corporations, congressional oversight committees, and federal agencies • The relationships within Iron Triangles seek only to benefit the three actors involved by pursuing a favorable policy for the interest group, at the expense of the constituencies that Congress and the Federal bureaucracy are supposed to represent, namely the general public

33. Issue Networks vs Iron Triangles? • Issue Networks • seek to support the public interests, not private ones, by seeking to benefit a wide ranging constituency that supports their side of the issue. • may oppose a policy pushed by a private interest group, and carried out by a government agency. • different Issue networks also compete with one another, as in the case of proponents and opponents of abortion.

35. Funding for Interest Groups • Foundation grants • One study found that 1/3 of public interest lobbying groups received more than half of all their funds from foundation grants • Federal grants and contracts • Expansion of federal grants in 1960s and 1970s benefited interest groups; cutbacks in 1980s hurt them

36. Funding for Interest Groups • Private Funding • Direct mail: through the use of computers, mail is sent directly to a specialized audience • But this approach is also expensive—it must generate checks from at least 2 percent of the people contacted

37. The Problem with Bias • Those who are more affluent are more likely to join and be active • Business/professional groups are more numerous and better financed than those representing minorities, consumers, or the disadvantaged

38. 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

39. 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

40. Regulating Interest Groups • A 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 • Campaign-finance laws limit donations by individual PACs

41. Public Attitudes Towards Interest Groups