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Interest Groups

Interest Groups. History and Interest Group Formation. Interest Groups. Any organization that seeks to influence public policy Found in many societies Unusually large number found in U.S. Proliferation. 1. Social cleavages 2. U.S. constitutional system 3. Decline of political parties.

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Interest Groups

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  1. Interest Groups History and Interest Group Formation

  2. Interest Groups • Any organization that seeks to influence public policy • Found in many societies • Unusually large number found in U.S.

  3. Proliferation • 1. Social cleavages • 2. U.S. constitutional system • 3. Decline of political parties

  4. Social Cleavages • Number of social divisions • Income, occupational, religious, racial, & cultural lines

  5. U.S. Constitutional System • Stimulates political activity, including interest group activity • Because of federalism & separation of powers, there exists many different important centers in which impt decisions are made

  6. U.S. Constitutional System • Many different interest groups can exercise different power • In Britain, interest groups are fewer innumber & larger in scale to match centralized govt structure

  7. Decline of Political Parties • Has made interest groups more needed & powerful • In European countries (with strong parties) interest groups—such as labor unions & professional societies—tendto work throughthe parties

  8. Kinds of Interest Groups • Institutional • Membership

  9. (1) Institutional Interest Groups • Organizations representing other groups • Typical institutional interests are business, government, foundations, & universities

  10. (2) Membership Interest Groups • Supported by the activities & contributions of individual citizens • Examples include: AARP, NAACP, Christian Coalition, Sierra Club

  11. Birth of Interest Groups • Since the 1960s the number of interest groups has increased rapidly • There have been other historical eras of interest group proliferation

  12. Historical Eras of Interest Group Growth • 1770s (pro-independence groups) • 1830s & 1840s (religious & antislavery groups) • 1860s (trade unions, the Grange) • 1880s & 1890s (business orgs)

  13. Historical Eras of Interest Group Growth • 1900s & 1910s (a vast array of orgs) • 1960s (environmental, consumer, and political reform orgs)

  14. Interest Groups • Do not arise spontaneously or automatically • At least four factors help explain the rise of interest groups

  15. Rise of Interest Groups • (1) Broad economic developments • (2) Government policy • (3) Religious & moralistic movements • (4) Expansion of government activities

  16. (1) Broad Economic Developments • Rise of mass production industry encouraged the rise of mass-membership labor unions

  17. (2) Government Policy • Public programs create constituencies with an incentive to organize to maintain their benefits • Veterans’ benefits create veterans’ groups • Licensing of professionals by state gov gives societies of doctors & lawyers a strong reason to exist

  18. (2) Government Policy • Sometimes the gov supports the formation of orgs (American Farm Bureau) by providing benefits to its members • Sometimes gov policies are designed to make private interest group formation easier (passage of laws in 1930s to aid labor)

  19. (3) Religious & Moralistic Movements • Produce people, frequently young people, who are willing to form orgs, often at large personal cost

  20. (3) Religious & Moralistic Movements • Religious revivals of the 1830s & 1840s fed the antislavery crusade • Civil Rts. & antiwar movements of 1960s likewise produced an org. explosion

  21. (4) Expansion of Gov Activities • The more activities gov undertakes, the more interest groups form as a response to those activities • Public interest lobbies have increased since 1970, when gov became active in civil rts, social welfare, and consumer rts.

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