Unit 3
The Linkage Institutions
TODAY’S TOPIC:
INTEREST GROUPS
Interest Groups: What are they?
 A private organization
that tries to persuade
public officials to
respond to the shared
attitude of its
members.
 For example: The
National Rifle
Association tries to
get Congressmen to
pass laws that allow
people to own guns.
What are they like, and what do they do?
 Made up of people that share
specific goals
 They are extremely well
organized
 The goal: influence public
policy
What do interest groups do?
 Try to increase
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representation in
government
Try to increase participation
Monitor programs already in
place (watchdog)
Build agendas
Increase education about
their subjects
Types of interest groups
 Business
 Professional
 Public
 Governmental
How are Interest Groups a Bad Thing?
 Remember Federalist #10?
 Madison warned the factions must be controlled through
checks and balances. There still are negatives, though.
 1. Despite this, some groups have gained too much influence
despite having very few members.
 2. It’s hard to tell who is in an interest group and how many
are in it. (Example: The Racine Taxpayer’s Association)
 3. Many times, groups push for views that are not supported by
the majority of their own members!
 4. Some groups have used bribery or blackmail to get what
they want from Congress members.
Let’s Talk About Bribery
 As Madison feared, interest
groups have gained a lot of
power. Sometimes even
enough power to bribe
members of Congress. This
is sometimes called “Pay
for play.”
 When a representative
gains profit from a law that
he or she helps pass, this is
called “graft.”
How are Interest Groups a Good Thing?
 They get people interested

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in current events.
They represent views that
people share, not a territory
like gov’t officials.
They provide information to
the government.
They get people involved in
politics.
They act as a watchdog over
the government.
They check and balance
each other.
Theories About Interest Groups
 Pluralist Theory
 According to this theory, interest groups compete with one
another for their own policies to be passed.
 The idea is that these groups compete and counterbalance one
another, in the end, benefitting all.
Theories About Interest Groups
 Elite Theory
 Believers in this theory argue that it is only the wealthy, large
interest groups that have the power.
 Us little guys are left in the cold.
Theories About Interest Groups
 Hyperpluralist Theory
 According to this theory, there are way too many groups and
they are having all of the impact, and the government is
weakening.
 In other words, the government is completely run by interest
groups according to this theory.
Which Theory is the Right One?
 The public is split on this issue
 Half of the people believe that government is still
controlled by the people.
 The other half believe that interest groups are
running the show (hyperpluralism).
Interest Group Myth
 “Big interest groups have all of the power.” (Elite
Theory isn’t always true)
 This is NOT true. While there are some powerful
large groups, small interest groups have some
organizational advantages over large groups.
Advantages of the Small Interest Group
 Less people are in the group, so it’s more likely that
they’ll agree on how to go about things.
More people = more arguments.
 Small groups usually have very specific goals, and
the more specific, the more focused members will be.
How do Interest Groups get Things Done?
 Lobbying (We’ll discuss this in a separate lecture)
 Electioneering and Donations (You know what these are
already)
 Litigation (Take things to the court system)
 Go public (Grassroots campaigning) and try to influence
regular people to contact their legislators to change things.
Let’s Look at Specific Groups
 American Medical Association
 Doctors and other medical professionals belong to this group.
 The main way that this group gets things done is by donating
money to candidates.
Specific Groups
 The Sierra Club
 This group is made up of environmentalists. They fight for
clean air laws and tougher restrictions on polluting companies.
 They get things changed by participating in grassroots
campaigns.
 They also use litigation to
get things changed.
Specific Groups
 The National Rifle Association
 This group is made up of thousands of members that want
their second amendment right to bear arms protected.
 The get things changed primarily through campaign
donations and grassroots campaigns.
Specific Groups
 National Association for the Advancement of Colored
People.


This group is one of the oldest interest groups, made up of
thousands of members who fight for equal rights for African
Americans.
The main way that they’ve
changed things is through
litigation. The also use
grassroots campaigning
as well.