American Citizenship
Chapter 9
Interest Groups
Section 1
 The Nature of Interest Groups
The Role of Interest Groups
 Seek to influence Public Policy
 They Function at every level of
government

We are a pluralistic society
Political Parties and Interest
Groups
 Three major distinctions between
political parties and interest groups

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Making of nominations
Primary focus
 Political parties are concerned about winning
elections, while interest groups are issue
oriented

Scope of their interests
Interest Groups: Good or Bad?

Two Early Views


Madison and Tocqueville disagreed on the importance
of interest groups
Valuable Functions of Interest Groups

Interest groups help stimulate interest in public
affairs

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those issues and events that concern the people at
large
represent members on the basis of shared attitudes
provide useful, specialized and detailed information to
government
vehicles for political participation

watchdog participation
Interest Groups: Good or Bad?
(Con’t)
 Criticism

Sometimes more interested in their own
agenda, as opposed to the interests of
Americans
 More organized and financed, the more say in



government
How many people truly support the interest
group?
Generally controlled by an active minority
Bribery and Threats sometimes used
Section 2
 Types of Interest Groups
An American Tradition
 Interest groups have been in American
history from the beginning, in one form
or another


Come in all shapes and sizes
On any issue, however predominantly civil
rights and economics
 Chamber of Commerce
 American Legion
 PTA
 MSTA
 Church
Group Based on Economic
Interests

Business Groups

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Business owners were strong proponents of the
constitutional convention in 1787
Trade Associations most common today
 interest groups within the business community
Labor Groups
Labor Unions

an organization of workers who share the same
type of job or who work in the same industry
 Largest labor union today is the AFL-CIO
Membership in Labor Unions
1
3
Chapter 9, Section 2
Group Based on Economic
Interests (Con’t)
 Agricultural Groups


Today only 2% of the U.S. population lives
on farms
American Farm Bureau one of the most
prominent Agricultural interest groups
 Professional Groups

Specialized on certain professions
 such as the AMA, ABA, NEA
Other Interest Groups

Groups that promote causes


Exist to promote a cause or an idea
Examples


ACLU, Planned Parenthood, NRA, Sierra Club,
National Right-to-life Committee
Organizations that promote the welfare of
certain groups


American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Affairs,
AARP, NAACP, NAAA
Religious Groups

Try to influence public policy in reference to church
beliefs

National Council of Churches
Membership in Labor Unions
1
3
Chapter 9, Section 2
Public-Interest Groups
 An interest group that seeks to institute
certain public policies of benefit to all or
most people in this country
Section 3
 Interest Groups at Work
Influencing Public Opinion
 Interest Groups reach out in three ways


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Supply the public with “accurate”
information
Build a positive image for the group
Promote a particular public policy
Propaganda
 A technique of persuasion aimed at
influencing individual or group behaviors


Taking a conclusion, and finding information
to support that conclusion
Greatly used through mass media, with
simple slogans
Influencing Parties and Elections
 Interest Groups know and use political
parties as allies to advance their
particular issues
PAC’s most common use of Interest
Groups in the political process
Single-interest groups


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PACs that concentrate their efforts on one
issue, such as abortion, gun control, or
health care
Lobbying

Those activities by which group pressures are
brought to bear on legislators and legislative
process
Nearly all types of interest groups, have
lobbyist in Washington, D.C. in order to
influence legislative decisions
Lobbyist at Work
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They will write articles in papers, create
commercials, testify before committees, etc.
Grass roots pressure is brought up as well
 from the people, average voters
Lobby Regulation
 Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 requires all those involved
in lobbying to register