Tuesday October 15, 2013
• OBJ: SWBAT understand different ways of
exercising political activism besides voting.
• Drill: What is a special interest group? Why do
they exist? How can they affect the political
process.
• Homework: Wilson pages 280-293 summarize
each section (does not have to be more than a
few sentences for each, main idea) MAKE
SURE TO FOCUS on PACs, Earmarks and
Regulation.
Types of Interest Groups
•Economic Interest Groups
• Business – large corporations, including multinationals
• Trade and Other Associations – businesses with similar interests
join together as associations which are as diverse as the product
and services they provide.
• Labor – workers’ associations with shared interests, ranging from
professional standards to wage and working conditions.
Examples: American Farm Bureau Federation, United Farm
Workers Association, AFL-CIO.
•Open shops – union membership cannot required
•Closed shops – union membership can be required
•Free riders – individual not in the union but who benefits
from union activity.
Union Membership in the U.S. Compared to
Other Countries
Labor Force and Union Membership 19302010
Types of Interest Groups
(continued)
•Economic Interest
Groups (continued)
• Professional Associations – professional associations with
shared interests. Examples: American Medical Association,
American Bar Association, American Federation of Teachers,
American Realtors Assoc.
•Ideological or Single-Issue Interest Groups
•Public Interest Groups (PIRGs)
• Seek to influence policy on Capitol Hill and in several state
legislatures on environmental issues, safe energy, and
consumer protection.
•Foreign Policy Interest Groups
•Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs )
Types of Interest Groups
•Government & (continued)
Government Employee
Interest
Groups
• Governments are themselves important interest groups.
• Government employees form a large and well-organized group.
• Public employees are increasingly important to organized labor because they
constitute the fastest-growing unions.
•Other Interest Groups
• Veteran’s groups
• Nationality groups
• Religious organizations
• Environmental groups
Types of Interest Groups: Ideological
or Single-Interest Groups
The Christian
Coalition
distributes voter
guides before
elections as one
means of
influencing
politics
The National AARP: The Nation’s
Rifle Association Most Powerful Interest
Group
• 36 million members
• Offers a wide array of
material benefits like
insurance and
magazines
• One of the most
influential lobbying
groups in D.C.
Types of Interest Groups:
Public Interest Groups
Ralph Nader - Ran for
president as Green Party
candidate in 1996 and 2000
and as independent in 2004
Foreign Policy Interest Groups
•Council on Foreign Relations
•American-Israel Political Action Committee
Public Sector Interest Groups
•National Governors Association
•National League of Cities
•National Educational Association
Characteristics and Power of Interest
Groups
•Techniques (continued)
•Litigation
•Amicus curiae (“friends of the court”) briefs – filed
by an individual or organization to present
arguments in addition to those presented by the
immediate parties to a case.
•Election Activities
•Forming a Political Party
•Cooperative Lobbying
•Protest
•Candidate Support
Other Techniques
The Influence of
•Who
are the Lobbyists?
Lobbyists
A person or persons
employed by and acting for
an organized interest group
or corporation to try to
influence policy decisions
and positions in the
executive and legislative
branches.
•What do Lobbyists Do?
Engage in activities aimed at
influencing public officials,
especially legislators and the
policies they enact.
Lobbyists primarily provide
The Iron
Triangle
The Influence of Lobbyists
Who Are the Lobbyists?
• Lobbyists are former public servants.
• Lobbyists are experienced in government.
• Lobbyists often go to work for one of the interests
they dealt with while in government.
What Do Lobbyists Do?
• Many lobbyists participate in issue networks or
relationships among interest groups, congressional
committees, subcommittees, and government agencies
that share a common policy concern.
• Interest groups provide money for incumbents.
• Interest groups provide information of two important
types.
Forms of Political Participation
(Besides Voting)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Litigation
Protest/public demonstrations
Contacting media or public officials
Campaign work, voter registration
Campaign contributions
Running for/holding political office
Political discussion (Way to go, AP Government!)
Membership in a political organization
Verba and Nie’s Six Kinds of Citizens
• Inactives- rarely vote, participate, or even discuss
politics. 22% of pop.
• Voting Specialists- vote, but do little else
• Campaigners- vote and get involved in campaigns
• Communalists- non-partisan community activist with a
local focus
• Parochial Participants- like inactives, but will contact
politicians about specific problems
• Activists – participate in all forms of politics
Causes of Participation
• Education- more=more
• Religion- involvement develops skills
associated with political participation
• Gender- equal
• Race – Black participation is lower, BUT
controlling for socioeconomic status,
they actually participate at a higher rate
Factors that Decrease Turnout
• Youths, minorities pushing down percentage
of eligible adults who are registered and vote
(Ya darn kids!)
• Parties less effective in mobilization
• Remaining registration impediments have
negative effects
• Voting not compulsory
• Feelings that elections don’t matter
What Should We Do?
• No one really knows who would be helped
by increased voter turnout
– Perhaps Democrats, since nonvoters tend to
be poor, minorities, or uneducated
– Perhaps Republicans, since an increasing
percentage of college graduates and whitecollar adults are not voting
Essentially….
• Americans vote less but participate more
• Other forms of activity are becoming more
common
• Political Participation: Just Do It!
Grassroots vs. Astroturf
Movements
• Grassroots: Activities that make direct
citizen-citizen contact to encourage
participation in the political process.
•
• Astroturf: Activities that make indirect
contact with the citizen to encourage
participation in the political process. These
campaigns seek to create the impression of
being a spontaneous grassroots behavior.
In Groups of 3-4
• Look at the issue of counties trying to secede
from Maryland.
– Brainstorm different ideas of how, as a member of
this movement you could get your cause heard,
and possibly succeed.
– Use different forms of political
action/participation.
– For each form that you discuss write down the
positives and negatives.
Wrap Up
• Which form of political participation would be
the most affective? Why?