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.
Useful External Reading:
Texas Politics: Interest Groups
Also,
From the Texas Tribune Topics
Interest Groups
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 adhoc 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.
This reflects the concept of
pluralism.
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.
But this comes at a price
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 gridlock
2 – 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 specialinterest 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.
Next Topic
What Kinds of Interest Groups
Exist?
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 Associations
Professional Associations
Organized Labor
Agricultural Groups
Racial and Ethnic Minority Groups
Religious 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 Alliance
Which 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.
What do interest groups do?
Here are four things:
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.
Let’s look at each in turn:
1 - Organize individuals with similar
interests
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.
Political Entrepreneur
Notable Policy Entrepreneurs:
Richard Mellon Scaife
James Leininger
This person has to figure out how
best to overcome the free rider
problem that prevents individuals
that have a common interest from
working together to achieve that
interest.
Olson pointed out that these individuals
provide selective benefits to individuals
that they would not be able to get if they
were not members of the group and did
not participate to further the group’s
objectives.
A selective benefit is a reward or
punishment that fosters cooperation
among a group of people who might
otherwise free ride.
There are four basic types of
Selective Incentives
Material
Purposive
Solidary
Informational
Material
Members are encouraged to join
because they will receive material
benefits if they do so. Jobs or
business opportunities for
example.
Purposive
Joining the group helps one
advance a grand “purpose” such as
cleaner air, greater public morality,
or some other intangible reward.
Solidary
Joining the group puts one in touch
with other, similarly minded
people. Social options increse
Informational
The group makes its members
privy to information they cannot
get elsewhere.
Material interests tend to be the
most effective for organizing
people. This makes sense if you
think about it. People are more
likely to be motivated by
something that profits them than
by other concerns.
2 - Organize electoral competition
Interest groups become heavily
involved in election campaigns in
order to gain access to
officeholders after the election.
Members of groups want to be
seen as being central supports of
members of Congress and the
executive branch because that
makes it more likely that they will
invited to help craft the legislation
and rules that will affect them.
If the group is not especially
wealthy, they can rally supporters
to assist the election.
The term used for this is
“electioneering.”
It allows entry for an interest
groups’ lobbyists.
3 - Organize government
A key goal of interest groups is to
establish connections with people
in each of the branches of
government.
Ideally they forge relationships
with the various institutions that
have some authority around a
defined policy area.
Sub-Governments
Iron Triangles
The Texas Star
Since the judiciary is elected,
judges can become part of subgovernments in the state.
4 - Link the state and local political
system to the national political
system.
Since Texas is in a federal system,
relationships sometimes also have
to be established with the national
government.
How influential are interest groups
in Texas?
According to this table, there are
five options.
Texas is dominant / complimentary
According to the table contained
here, there are five levels of
strength that interest groups have
in the states.
Interest groups in Texas are
dominant complimentary.
The Free Rider Problem
Because of the free rider problem,
it is easier for interest groups to
form around private goods than
public goods.
Not all groups are equally capable
of being organized successfully.
Private groups that can provide
material incentives to potential
members are more likely to form
effective groups.
Examples:
Business Groups
Professional Associations
Labor Unions
Ironically – given that we live in a
majoritarian democracy – larger
groups can be less effective.
They are more difficult to organize
and are more likely to suffer from
free ridership.
This includes the poor, students,
children, consumers, etc….
In addition, not all groups are likely
to be politically engaged.
What do interest groups do to
promote their interests?
Getting involved in elections
Voter Guides
Issue Advertisements
Campaign Contributions
Here’s a list of voter guides from
interest groups in Texas complied
by Project Vote Smart.
This helps establish relationships
with elected officials and makes it
more likely that the group will
receive favorable treatment from
each branch.
In Texas, the Governor is responsible for
appointing the members of approximately 125
multimember boards and commissions. These
boards and commissions, some with broad
policy mandates, make public policy on the
often narrowly defined issues around which
organized interests are likely to form.
Consequently, organized interests, including
businesses, associations, lobbying groups, and
law firms, seek policy making appointments for
their representatives in these government
agencies. – source.
Lobbying
Lobbying refers to …..
Types of lobbyists
contract
in-house
The typical lobbyist makes more
money than a typical member of
the Texas Legislature.
Ex-members of the legislature, and
other top government officials can
become successful lobbyists.
Petition Drives
Public Demonstrations
Media Campaigns
Attending Public Meetings