AP GOVERNMENT
INTEREST GROUPS
Chapter 9
Ms Windows
What is an Interest Group?
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A group of individuals with
common interests and seek to
influence the government in
some way (“Special Interests”)
Issue Advocacy
James Madison called them
“factions”
How does an Interest Group begin?
 USUALLY an interest group
begins as a movement
 Examples-abolitionists, civil
rights, women’s rights,
animal rights, etc.
 Movements start b/c people
want their voices heard by
_______________ ?
Types of Interest Groups
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Economic (including Prof Assoc)
Ideological
Single Issue
Public Interest
Foreign Policy
Government Itself
Not all interest groups are mutually
exclusive-some overlap into different
types
1. Economic Interest Groups
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Businesses-large corporations (one
person to large conglomerates)
McD’s, Coke, AT&T, Microsoft,
Amazon
Trade & Other Associations businesses with similar interest join
together.
Chambers of Commerce
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Workers associations or Labor
unions
• Represent workers’ interests
• Membership is low in the US
compared to other industrialized
countries
• Although entire work force
increases, membership has
decreased in last 60 years. WHY?
• ALF-CIO has many unions, IBEW
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Open Shop -membership in
union is not required as a
condition of employment
Closed Shop -must join a union
to work
Either case, union negotiates for
the workers
Free Riders -get what is
negotiated for but do not join
union
Right to Work States (Open Shop)
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Professional AssociationsProfessionals form of a union.
•Can be national or state
•American Bar Association,
National Education Association,
AMA
2. GOVERNMENT Interest
Groups
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Government employees want to
be organized and heard
National Governors Association,
National Conference of Mayors,
National Education Association
Try to get federal grants!
3. IDEOLOGICAL IGs
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Ideological-specific political
views or set of issues
•MARXISTS, SOCIALISTS
Civil Liberties, environment,
nuclear disarmament
 ACLU, Christian Coalition
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4. Single Issue IGs
Single Issue (more specific)
 Very adamant about position
(right or left) and unwilling to
compromise
 NRA (2nd Amend), Abortion -Emily’s List (PAC) v. Right to
Life
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5. PUBLIC Interest Groups
“for the public interest”
 Common Cause -to reform
the electoral process
 Ralph Nader-PIRGs promote
environmental issues, safe
energy, consumer protection,
good gov’t
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Certain types of public interest
groups are tax-exempt
• Girl Scouts, American Heart
Association, American Cancer
Society
• Benefits-donations tax-deductible,
donors can remain anonymous
• Cannot support candidates or
elections but can do what?
 Voter registration drives and
issue ads
FOREIGN POLICY Interest Groups
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To promote or oppose certain
foreign policies
Council on Foreign Relations,
American-Israel Political Action
Committee, National Association
of Arab Americans
What would NAAA lobby for now?
CHARACTERISTICS of Interest
Groups
1. Size and Resources -the
more, the better!
 Motivations to join-incentives
(material or otherwise)
 What is the membership
“spread”? Are the members
concentrated in one area or
dispersed?
2. COHESIVENESS -How is
the membership organized?
 Small # of leaders who have
formal positions (full or parttime); OR
 People involved in the group
do all the leg work; OR
 People are members in name
only (no participation)
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How is the organization
structured?
•Strong, formal organization
•Local groups that join together
to form national group
3. Leadership -Strong or Weak?
4. Techniques -Methods they use
to influence people and government
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Publicity/Mass Media Appeal
Mass Mailing
Influence Rule Making
Litigation--USING THE COURT SYSTEM!
Election Activities
Forming Political Parties
Lobbying
Cooperative Lobbying (power in #s)
TYPES OF INCENTIVES
Solidary incentives – sense
of pleasure, status, or
companionship (PTA, NAACP)
 Material incentives – money,
services, things valued in
monetary terms (AARP)
 Purposive incentives – the
appeal of the group’s goals
(ideological, public-interest)
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What are Lobbyists?
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Employees of an association that
try to influence policy decisions
and positions in the government
Revolving Door - moving from a
government job to a lobbying job
(common-good contacts already
made)
A former gov’t worker cannot
directly lobby their former agency
or office
What do Lobbyists do?
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Helps provide money for
members of Congress for their
next campaign
Provide two types of
information: Political (who
supports what) and Substantive
(impact of proposed legislation)
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Revolving Doors produce
networks of people involved
with certain issues. These
networks are called IRON
TRIANGLES or issue
networks.
•Mutually supporting relationships
among interest groups,
congressional committees, and
gov’t agencies
Iron Triangle or Issue Network
Congressional
Committee
Corporations
Or gov’t
contractors
Gov’tal
Agency
What are PACs?
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Political Action Committee is the
political part of an interest group
Can legally raise money for
candidates or political parties from
members, stockholders, or
employees (of interest group)
in number when the Campaign
Reform Act 1974 limited individual
contributions (over 4000 today)
Individual candidates set up PACS –
Sarah Palin
How PACs Invest their Money
PACs invest in influential
candidates (the Speaker,
committee chairs)
 PACs also give to important
minority members because
they never know when the
balance switches in the
House and Senate
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PAC LIMITS
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Federal Elections Campaign Act
(1971) limits PACs to $5000 per
election or $10,000 per election cycle
(primary and general election)
OFT MONEY -PACs have no limits to
contributions made to a political
party for party-building purposes
Effectiveness of PACs
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Individuals can only contribute
$2400 while a PAC can give
$5000
“Bundling” helps PACs get
around the limits
Help campaigns through phone
calls, mailings, and television
Issue Advocacy-promote or
oppose a particular issue in the
campaign
527 Groups
Tax-exempt organizations
created to influence elections
 Not subjected to the same
restrictions as PACs
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•Texans for Truth, America
Coming Together
FEC and Interest Groups
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Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act
2002 (McCain-Feingold Act)
• Purpose to control $ that comes
into federal campaigns and provide
transparency for the $ collected
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McConnell v. FEC (2003) – 527
groups exempt especially for
non-partisan issues, no
regulation of internet ads
Honest Leadership & Open
Govt Act (2007)
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FEC developed regulations to
limit the workings of lobbyists
• lobbyists would bundle $ for a
candidate
•PACs now need to disclose
lobbyists who bundle funds