INTEREST GROUPS
IN AMERICA
Chapter 8
ORGANIZED INTERESTS: WHO
ARE THEY?

An interest group is a voluntary association that seeks
publicly to promote and create advantages for its cause.

Interest groups focus on achieving success with regard
to specific policies.

Better educated and wealthier Americans are more
active in interest group politics.

Advocacy groups protect individuals and rights, but
have contributed to a more passive role for citizens.
THE ROOTS OF INTEREST
GROUP POLITICS IN AMERICA

By the early 1800s, voluntary associations were well
established in the United States.

Economic and transportation changes brought rapid
growth in organizations in mid-1800s.

Labor unions and other voluntary associations
supporting workers appeared in the late 1800s.

The New Deal spawned hundreds of interest groups
with a stake in federal policies.

Civil rights movement led to an explosion in
Washington-based advocacy groups.
WHOSE INTERESTS ARE
REPRESENTED?

The largest interest group is composed of trade
associations, particularly business interests.

Over 40% of all Washington lobbyists represent business interests.

Prof. associations, labor unions, and education groups
also maintain strong presence in DC

Virtually every nation in world maintains a DC office to
oversee its relations with U.S. leaders.

Many interests at the bottom of the economic spectrum
enjoy minimal or no representation at all.
WHY JOIN?

Individuals join voluntary associations for:



material benefits,
the chance to associate with others, and
a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.

Contrary to rational choice theory, interest group
leaders rank material benefits to be the least important
incentives.

Leaders of all kinds of groups rank purposive incentives
highest, with solidarity incentives close behind.
INTEREST GROUP STRATEGIES

A strategy is a group’s overall plan; the specific actions
it undertakes are tactics.

Inside strategies emphasize direct personal
encounters with public officials.

Outside strategies are activities that show popular
support for a cause and indirectly create public pressure
on elected officials.

Resources useful in advancing a group’s cause include
money, numbers, prestige, and leadership.
LOBBYING & OTHER TACTICS

Lobbying is increasingly the province of permanent
and salaried professionals.

Former gov’t workers well suited to be lobbyists:

Have special knowledge and know the process.

Members of Congress value lobbyists because they
possess resources of support (contributions, info).

Congress has passed laws regulating lobbying activity,
including a ban on accepting gifts, meals, or trips from
lobbyists.

Interest groups often form tax-exempt organizations, or 527
groups, to engage in various political activities.
LOBBYING & OTHER TACTICS

Some interest groups initiate litigation as a tactic to
advance their goals.

Litigation is expensive, so groups with abundant financial
resources are most likely to undertake it.

Grassroots mobilization involves organizing citizens to
pressure officials for/against a policy.

Protests, which have always been a part of U.S. politics,
are the ultimate form of grassroots activity.


Protest usually accompanies issues that are highly charged
emotionally.
Protest is a common tactic among those with few resources
and little direct access to power.
Exponential Growth of PACs
The Most Powerful People in D.C.
Which Interests Are Best Represented?
Top PAC Contributors to
Federal Candidates in 2005-06
www.opensecrets.org










National Assn of Realtors $3,030,005
National Auto Dealers Assn
$2,376,600
National Beer Wholesalers Assn $2,364,500
Intl Brotherhood of Electrical Workers $2,311,650
Assn of Trial Lawyers of America $2,114,500
American Bankers Assn
$2,047,774
Credit Union National Assn
$2,047,224
National Assn of Home Builders $1,982,500
AT&T Inc $1,972,515
United Parcel Service (UPS) $1,872,179
Top PAC Contributors to
Federal Candidates in 2005-06
www.opensecrets.org

National Assn of Realtors


National Auto Dealers Assn


29% to Dems and 71% to Republicans
Intl Brotherhood of Electrical Workers


28% to Dems and 72% to Republicans
National Beer Wholesalers Assn


48% to Dems and 51% to Republicans
96% to Dems and 3% to Republicans
Assn of Trial Lawyers of America

96% to Dems and 4% to Republicans
Who Gives to Republicans & Democrats?