1
Chapter
Seven:
Interest
Groups
Learning Objectives
2
 Define interest groups, explain why interest
groups form, and describe their functions.
 Give three reasons why people participate in
interest groups.
 Identify the major categories of interest groups,
and name examples of the primary interest
groups associated with the business,
agricultural, and labor sectors.
Learning Objectives
3
 Explain the significance of professional interest
groups, public interest pressure groups, singleinterest groups, environmental groups, and how
foreign governments act as interest groups.
 Specify some of the factors that make an
interest group powerful.
 Identify and explain the direct tactics used by
interest groups, including lobbying, rating
systems, building alliances, and campaign
assistance.
Learning Objectives
4
 Identify and explain the indirect tactics used by
interest groups, including public pressure and
using constituents as lobbyists.
 Describe benefits and drawbacks of
unconventional tactics such as demonstrations
and boycotts.
 Describe regulations on lobbyists in place today
and explain why lobbying as an activity is so
difficult to regulate within the U.S. political
system.
Interest Groups: A Natural Phenomena
5
 Americans have joined groups to influence
government throughout our history.
 Interest groups often are spawned by mass
social movements.
 The Constitution encourages Americans to form
groups and to express their opinions to the
government or to their elected representatives
as members of a group.
Why Do Americans Join Interest Groups?
6
Benefits of joining an interest group:
 Solidarity
 Material gain
 Purposive incentives
 Societal incentives
Types of Interest Groups
7
Economic Interest Groups:
 Business
 Agricultural
 Labor
 Public Employee Unions
 Interest Groups of Professionals
 Unorganized Poor
Types of Interest Groups
8
Types of Interest Groups
9
Types of Interest Groups
10
Types of Interest Groups
11
Types of Interest Groups
12
 Environmental Groups
 Public Interest Groups
 Single Issue Interest Groups
 Foreign Governments
What Makes an Interest Group Powerful?
13
 Size
 Resources
 Leadership
 Cohesiveness
What Makes an Interest Group Powerful?
14
 Interest Group Techniques: Direct
 Lobbying
 Publicizing
ratings of legislative behavior
 Building coalitions
 Providing campaign assistance
What Makes an Interest Group Powerful?
15
 Lobbying
 Holding
private meetings with public officials
where lobbyists often furnish needed information.
 Testifying before Congressional committees.
 Testifying before executive rule-making
committees.
 Assisting legislators or bureaucrats in drafting
legislation or prospective regulations.
What Makes an Interest Group Powerful?
16
 Lobbying (Continued)
 Inviting
legislators to social occasions.
 Providing
political information to legislators and
other government officials.
 Supplying
nominations for federal appointments
to the executive branch.
Interest Group Strategies
17
 Strategies: Indirect
 Generating
Public Pressure
 Using Constituents as Lobbyists
 Holding Marches or Rallies
 Promoting boycotts
Regulating Lobbyists
18
The Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act (1946):
 The Act was ineffective, however, as only full-
time lobbyists had to register.
Regulating Lobbyists
19
The Reforms of 1995: In 1995, Congress
overhauled the lobbying legislation. The new
legislation included the following provisions:
 A lobbyist is a person who spends 20 percent
of the time or more lobbying Congress or the
executive branch.
 Lobbyists who earn $5,000 or more must
register within 45 days of making contact with a
member of Congress.
Regulating Lobbyists
20
 The Reforms of 1995 (Continued)
 Detailed
reports must disclose the nature of the
lobbying business twice a year.
 Subsidiaries of foreign companies based in the
United States must register as lobbyists.
 Tax-exempt organizations and religious
organizations are exempt from these
requirements.
Interest Groups and Representative
Democracy
21
Interest Groups: Elitist or Pluralist?
 Existence of interest groups is an argument in
favor of pluralism. However, they are often led
by upper-class individuals, which argues for
elite theory.
Interest Group Influence
 Even the most powerful groups do not always
succeed in their demands.
Web Links
22
 Center for Responsive Politics: nonpartisan
guide to money’s influence on U.S. elections
and public policy with data derived from
Federal Election Commission report:
www.opensecrets.org.
 The Center for Public Integrity: nonprofit
organization dedicated to producing original,
responsible investigative journalism on issues
of public concern; tracks lobbyists and their
expenditures: www.publicintegrity.org/lobby .
What If…Retired Government Employees
Could Not Work for Interest Groups?
23
 Interest groups value lobbyists who “know their
way around Washington,” and former
government employees and elected officials
can make effective lobbyists.
 While former government employees or
representatives with expert knowledge can help
clients with law making, they can also lobby for
lucrative benefits for their clients.
What If…Retired Government Employees
Could Not Work for Interest Groups?
24
 A government career may be more attractive if
it ends with a few years of highly paid,
comfortable employment.
 Banning such employment might make
government service less appealing to some,
possibly resulting in fewer well-qualified
individuals choosing to enter government and
politics as a lifelong career.
You Can Make a Difference:
The Gun Control Issue
25
 Should possession of handguns be regulated
or banned?
 There are 1 million gun incidents occurring in
the United States each year—murders,
suicides, assaults, accidents, and robberies in
which guns are involved.
You Can Make a Difference:
The Gun Control Issue
26
 Research conducted by the National School
Safety Center shows that more than 300
students have died in school shootings in the
past 15 years.
You Can Make a Difference:
The Gun Control Issue
27
What are the options?
 Be more aware of others’ behavior.
 Some want to carry concealed weapons.
 Some want a reinstatement of the Federal
Assault Weapons Ban.
You Can Make a Difference:
The Gun Control Issue
28
 To find out more about the National Rifle
Association and their positions: www.nra.org.
 To learn about positions of gun-control
advocates, contact the Brady Center to
Prevent Gun Violence:
www.bradycampaign.org.