Agenda:
1. Review Winter Break Assignment
2. Interest Groups Notes
3. Interest Groups Book
4. HW: graphs and charts for Chapter 11
Special Interest Groups
Lobbying and PACs- Chapter 11
Special Interest Groups

An organized group of people with a policy
goal who enter into the political process to
try to get the goals met
What is the name of your interest group?
What is their policy goal?
Main Theories of Interest
Groups

Pluralist Theory:
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interest groups are good because they give
everyone a voice;
there are lots of competing groups but they
balance each other out and compromise;
no one group is likely to become dominant

Elite theory



Most interest groups are insignificant
The ones that represent the biggest
corporations and industries have the most
power
They are all “interlocked” and look out for
each other
Hyperpluralism

Pluralism (lots of groups) is out of control
The government is trying to please everyone
so we wind up with:
Conflicting policy
 Skyrocketing budget
 Policy gridlock

Which theory do you most agree with?
Why?
Iron Triangles

The Relationship between:

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Key interest group leaders interested in policy
X
Government agency in charge of policy x
Members of Congress who are handling policy
x
They all work together to protect their
interest. (getting “X” passed)
How do interest groups shape policy?


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Lobbying- political persuasion to achieve
goal (bill passed or killed)
Electioneering- aiding candidates to office
financially and then getting them to
support your members
Litigation- use the court system to
influence Congress; filing lawsuits or
amicus curiae briefs
Appealing to the public- commercials,
radio ads etc. to get the public behind
them

How has your group carried out these four
tasks to shape policy?
PAC’s




A legal way for an interest group to
provide money to parties and campaigns
Heavily used in Congressional campaigns
The assumption is that if you take their
money you will “help them” once you get
the job
PAC’s can donate much more money than
an individual could
Types of Interest Groups



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Economic Issue Groups (labor, business)
Environmental Interest Groups
(environment, animals, energy)
Equality Interest Groups (women,
minorities)
Consumer and Public Interest (regulating
product manufacturing, speaking for
“those who can’t speak for themselves”)
Lobbying
Our government is a supportive
environment for interest groups
 Interests can benefit in having
influence over federal policies &
programs
 Lobbying: efforts of groups to
influence public policy through
contact with public officials

What is a lobbyist?

They are the primary
instruments for
fostering a special
interest groups goals
to the policymakers


Negative publicity:
govt. officials
becoming and viceversa
Positives: specialists
to Congress, create
coalitions, take legal
action for group,
provide official
ratings, use the media
to exercise viewpoint
Interest Groups Book



Page 1- What are
they and what do
they do?
Page 2- Are they
good or bad? (t-chart)
Page 3- Theories on
Interest Groups
(define Pluralist, Elite,
Hyperpluralist)

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Page 4- How do they
shape policy?
(Lobbying,
Electioneering,
Litigation, Appealing
to the Public)
Page 5- Iron Triangle
Page 6- PAC’s
Types of Interest
Groups
Inside Lobbying


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Direct communication between organized
interests and policy makers- value of close
contacts
Bribes do survive, but tend to be more
subtle
Many are former members of Congress
The targets are all branches of
government
lobbying is generally most effective on
narrow, technical issues that are not wellpublicized
Inside Lobbying: the 3 branches
Legislative branch: both groups and
members of Congress can gain, fair
play and aboveboard approach are
best: “3rd house of Congress”
 Executive agencies: Bureaucrats are
key targets- administrative and policy
decisions. Ex. Regulatory Agencies!
 The Courts: trying to influence
selection of federal judges, lawsuits,
amicus curiae

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Should their be regulations on
lobbying?
1946 Federal Regulation of Lobbying
Act (too many loopholes!)
Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995
Tightened up registration and
disclosure requirements and
restrictions on gifts and expenses
Congress receives
Lobbying. Good or Bad?
-
+

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Provides info to
govt.
Representation by
interest
Linkage
mechanism
1st amendment
right!

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Rich and powerful
overrepresented
National interests
sacrificed!
What is an Iron Triangle?
Small and informal, yet STABLE set of
bureaucrats, legislators, and lobbyists
who seek to develop policies
 Inside track to legislators and
bureaucrats (ironclad)

Issue Networks
More common pattern of influence
today
 Informal grouping of officials,
lobbyists, and policy specialists who
are brought together temporarily by
an issue
 Ex: participants coming together over
the issue of forest being opened to
logging

Outside Lobbying
A form of lobbying in which an
interest group seeks to use public
pressure as a means of influencing
public officials
 Making use of constituency
connections
 Forms: grassroots lobbying (AARP),
votes and PAC money

Political Action Committees
The organization through which an
interest group raises and distributes
funds for elections (candidates)
 Must be voluntary contributions
 The amount of contributions has
skyrocketed, but downward trend
 Calls for reform (Common Cause):
dominated by rich, business,
 The FECA passed + Mc-Cain-Feingold

The biggest contenders:
The Assoc. of Trial Lawyers of
America PAC
 International Brotherhood of Elec.
Workers
 The American Federation of State
County and Municipal Employees

What has happened to the number
of PACs?
There has been explosive growth
 In 1974 = 600, today = 4100+
 Why?
 Legislation intending to prevent a few
wealthy from buying elections
 This opened up contributions to the
masses (represented by PACs)

Discussion: Why might business
PACs be so numerous? What is the
effect?
Legislation effects…
FECA of 1974 and ex. Of this type of
legislation
 Currently, $5000 limit per candidate
w/NO overall cap!
 PACs can contribute much more than
indiv.
 More of their money goes to
Congressional than presidential funds

PAC funds between the two: What
obstacles to challengers face?