Chapter 11
Interest
Groups
Edwards, Wattenberg, and Lineberry
Government in America: People, Politics, and Policy
Fourteenth Edition
Roots of Interest Groups

First national groups emerge in 1830s.

Business interests play larger role after Civil War.

Groups begin to send lobbyists to Washington

Progressive era leads to an explosion of groups.

Growth of labor and trade associations.
The Interest Group State

Expansion of civil rights and groups in 1960s.

Development of conservative and religious groups.

Evolution of new business groups dedicated to lobbying.

Declining power of organized labor.
INTEREST GROUPS SEEK TO
INFLUENCE PUBLIC POLICY.
THE U.S. HAS MANY
INTEREST GROUPS BECAUSE…
1-GREAT NUMBER OF SOCIAL CLEAVAGES
2-FEDERALISM ( 3 layers of gov’t)
3-SEPERATION OF POWERS (3 branches)
4-THE DECLINE OF POLITICAL PARTIES
THERE ARE MORE INTEREST GROUPS
AND THEY ARE DONATING MORE MONEY
The Role of Interest Groups
Interest group
An organization of people with shared policy goals
entering the policy process at several points to try to
achieve those goals
Interest groups pursue their goals in many arenas.
Interest groups are distinct from parties.
Political parties fight election battles;
Interest groups do not field candidates for office but may
choose sides.
Interest groups are policy specialists; political parties are
policy generalists.
INTEREST GROUPS ARE REGULATED BY THE GOV’T
MUST REGISTER WITH CONGRESS
MUST FILE FINANCIAL REPORTS
CAN LOSE TAX-EXEMPT STATUS
IF THEY LOBBY “TOO MUCH”
OR BREAK RULES
Theories of Interest Group
Politics: Hyperpluralism
Subgovernments
Networks of groups that exercise a great deal of control
over specific policy areas.
Consist of interest groups, government agency, and
congressional committees that handle particular
policies
Also known as iron triangles
The hyperpluralist critique
Groups have become too powerful as the government
tries to appease every interest.
Many subgovernments (iron triangles) aggravate the
process.
Trying to please every group results in contradictory
policies.
What Makes an Interest Group Successful?
Potential group: all the people who
might be interest group members
because they share a common
interest
Actual group: the part of the potential
group consisting of members who
actually join
Collective good: something of value
that cannot be withheld from a group
member
What Makes an Interest Group Successful?
Intensity
Single-Issue groups: groups that focus on a
narrow interest, dislike compromise, and
often draw membership from people new
to politics.
Groups may focus on an emotional issue,
providing them with a psychological
advantage.
Intensity encourages non-conventional
means of participation, i.e.—protests
Financial Resources
Not all groups have equal amounts of
money.
Monetary donations usually translate into
access to the politicians, such as a
phone call, meeting, or support for
policy.
Wealthier groups have more resources—
and presumably more access—but they
do not always win on policy.
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AMERICANS JOIN GROUPS A LOT
OUT OF A SENSE OF CIVIC DUTY &
POLITICAL EFFICACY.
JOINERS TEND TO BE HIGHSTATUS, WEALTHY, HAVE FREE
TIME, & CONNECTIONS.
Free-Rider Problem
Some people don’t join interest groups because
they benefit from the group’s activities without
officially joining.
The bigger the group, larger the problem
Large groups are difficult to organize
Olson’s law of large groups:
“The larger the group, the further it will fall short
of providing an optimal amount of a collective
good.”
Attempt to overcome Olson’s law by providing
selective benefits: Goods that a group can
restrict to those who pay their annual dues
Small groups are better organized and more focused
on the group’s goals.
Multinational corporations are successful because
there are few of them and, therefore, have an
easier time organizing for political action.
Consumer groups have a difficult time getting
significant policy gains because the benefits are
spread over the entire population.
Public interest lobbies seek “a collective good, the
achievement of which will not selectively and
materially benefit the membership activities of the
organization.”
HOW DO INTEREST GROUPS ATTEMPT TO INFLUENCE?
PROVIDE CREDIBLE INFORMATION
ORGANIZE PUBLIC SUPPORT / PROTEST
DONATE MONEY / JOBS (REVOLVING DOOR)
The Interest Group Explosion
How Groups Try to Shape Policy
Lobbying
Electioneering
Litigation
Going Public
Lobbying

Target Congress through research, money, or testimony.

Also target bureaucratic agencies and the president.

Lobby courts through sponsorship or amicus briefs.

Can use grassroots techniques, such as petitions.

May also resort to protests and activism.
How Groups Try to Shape Policy
Lobbying
“communication by someone other
than a citizen acting on his own
behalf, directed to a governmental
decisionmaker with the hope of
influencing his decision”
Two basic types of lobbyists:
1-Regular, paid employees of a group
2-Temporary hires
Lobbyists:
*are a source of information
*help politicians plan political
strategies for… legislation
campaigns
*are a source of ideas and innovations
Mixed evidence as to
whether lobbying works
Electioneering
Direct group involvement in the election
process
Groups can help fund campaigns, provide
testimony, and get members to work for
candidates; some form PACs.
Political Action Committee (PAC): PACs are
used by interest groups to donate money
to candidates.
PACs help pay the bill for increasing
campaign costs.
Most PAC money goes to incumbents.
Election Activities

Recruiting and endorsing candidates.

Organizing get out the vote efforts.

Rating candidates and office holders.

Establishing political action committees.
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Litigation
If an interest group fails in one arena,
the courts may be able to provide a
remedy.
Interest groups can file amicus curiae
briefs to influence a court’s decision.
Class Action lawsuits permit a small
number of people to sue on behalf of
all other people similar situated.
Going Public
Because public opinion matters,
groups try to:
-cultivate a good public image to build a
reservoir of goodwill with the public
-use marketing strategies to influence
public opinion of the group and its issues
-advertise to motivate and inform the public
about an issue
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Types of Interest Groups
 Economic



Interests
Labor
Agriculture
Business
 Environmental
Interests
 Equality Interests
 Consumer and Public Interest Lobbies
Types of Organized Interests

Public interest groups (i.e. NARAL, NRA).

Economic interest groups (i.e. AFL-CIO, NAM).

Governmental units, who lobby for earmarks.

Political action committees (i.e. EMILY’s List).

Multi-issue versus single-issue groups.
BUSINESS & PROFESSIONAL
INTEREST GROUPS ARE MORE
INFLUENTIAL & BETTER FINANCED
THAN OTHERS.
INTEREST GROUPS DON’T ALWAYS
REPRESENT THE INTERESTS OF
THEIR MEMBERS.
Understanding Interest Groups
Interest Groups & the Scope of Govern’t
Interest groups seek to maintain policies
and programs that benefit them.
Interest groups continue to pressure
government to do more things.
As the government does more, does this
cause the formation of more groups?
WHAT INFLUENCES THE POSITIONS OF I.G.?
GENERAL PHILOSOPHY & SPECIFIC GOALS
HOMOGENITY OF THE GROUP
PEOPLE’S MOTIVES FOR JOINING
THE SIZE OF STAFF
STAFF (ELITES) OFTEN SHAPE POLICY
LEVEL OF MEMBERS ACTIVITY/ MILITANCE
Theories of Interest Group Politics:
Elitism
Theories of Interest Group Politics
 Pluralist
Theory
Politics is mainly a competition among
groups, each one pressing for its own
preferred policies.
 Elite Theory
Societies are divided along class lines and
an upper-class elite rules, regardless of
the formal niceties of governmental
organization.
 Hyperpluralist Theory
Groups are so strong that government is
weakened. This is an extreme,
exaggerated form of pluralism.
Understanding Interest Groups
Interest Groups and Democracy
James Madison’s solution to the problems
posed by interest groups (factions) was to
create a wide-open system in which
groups compete.
Pluralists believe that the public interest
would prevail from this competition.
Elite theorists point to the proliferation of
business PACs as evidence of interest
group corruption.
Hyperpluralists maintain that group
influence has led to policy gridlock.
Summary
Group theories: pluralism, elitism,
and hyperpluralism
A number of factors influence a
group’s success, i.e., being small
Interest groups affect policy process
through lobbying, electioneering,
litigation, and going public.
Theories of Interest Group Politics
Pluralism and Group Theory
Groups provide a key link between the
people & government.
Groups compete and no one group will
become too dominant.
Groups play by the “rules of the game.”
Groups weak in one resource may use
another.
Lobbying is open to all so is not a
problem.
Elites Theory (The Denial of Pluralism)
Real power is held by the relatively
few.
The largest corporations hold the most
power.
Other groups may win many minor
policy battles, but elites prevail when
it comes to big policy decisions.
Lobbying is a problem because it
benefits the few at the expense of the
many.
AP CHAPTER 11 - INTEREST GROUPS
OBJECTIVES
1-EXPLAIN WHY THE CHARACTERISTICS OF
AMERICAN SOCIETY AND GOVERNMENT
ENCOURAGE A MULTIPLICITY OF INTEREST
GROUPS.
2-INDICATE THE HISTORICAL CONDITIONS
UNDER WHICH INTEREST GROUPS ARE LIKELY
TO FORM.
AP CHAPTER 11 - INTEREST GROUPS
OBJECTIVES
3-DO THE SENTIMENTS OF INTEREST GROUP MEMBERS
DETERMINE THE ACTIONS OF INTEREST GROUP
LEADERS?
4-DESCRIBE THE METHODS THAT INTEREST GROUPS
USE TO CARRY OUT THEIR OBJECTIVES. MAKE SURE
YOU INCLUDE LOBBYING TECHNIQUES AND THE
USE OF COURTS.
5-LIST THE LAWS REGULATING CONFLICT OF INTEREST
AND DESCRIBE THE PROBLEMS INVOLVED WITH
REVOLVING DOOR GOVERNMENT EMPLOYMENT.
AP CHAPTER 11 - INTEREST GROUPS
IMPORTANT TERMS
CLIENT POLITICS
CUE (POLITICAL)
“DIRTY DOZEN”
FEDERAL REGULATION OF LOBBYING
ACT OF 1946
GRASSROOTS SUPPORT
IDEOLOGICAL INTEREST GROUPS
INCENTIVE (POILITICAL)
INSTITUTIONAL INTERESTS
AP CHAPTER 11 - INTEREST GROUPS
IMPORTANT TERMS
INTEREST GROUP
LOBBIST
MATERIAL BENEFIT INCENTIVES
MEMBERSHIP INTERESTS
P.A.C.S
P.I.R.G.S
AP CHAPTER 11 - INTEREST GROUPS
IMPORTANT TERMS
PUBLIC-INTEREST GROUP
PURPOSIVE INCENTIVE
RATING
REVOLVING-DOOR INFLUENCE
SOCIAL MOVEMENT
SOLIDARY INCENTIVE
AP CHAPTER 11 - INTEREST GROUPS
QUESTIONS
1-WHY HAVE INTEREST GROUPS GROWN STRONGER
AS POLITICAL PARTIES HAVE GROWN WEAKER?
2-WHICH HAVE BEEN MORE IMPORTANT IN THE
FORMATION OF INTEREST GROUPS: CHANGES IN
THE ECONOMIC STRUCTURE OF THE UNITED
STATES OR CHANGES IN PEOPLE’S IDEAS AND
BELIEFS?
3-THEODORE LOWI PRESENTED THE THEORY THAT
PUBLIC POLICY IS FORMULATED BY BUREAUCRATS
IN CONJUCTION WITH INTEREST GROUPS. DO
YOU AGREE?
AP CHAPTER 11 - INTEREST GROUPS
QUESTIONS
4-WHICH INCENTIVE -MATERIAL, PURPOSIVE,
SOLIDARY - IS THE MOST IMPORTANT IN
JOINING AN INTEREST GROUP?
5-PACs HAVE BEEN CALLED COLLECTION
AGENCIES FOR INTEREST GROUPS. THEY WERE
CREATED TO EVADE LAWS THAT FORBID
CORPORATIONS AND LABOR UNIONS FROM
GIVING MONEY “DIRECTLY” TO FEDERAL
CANDIDATES. WHY DOES CONGRESS PERMIT
THE LAW TO BE TRAMPLED BY ALLOWING
PACs? DO PACs THREATEN THE
CONSTITUTIONAL ORDER?