Chapter 7 Interest Groups
SIGs and Democracy
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Line of communication
Increases public awareness and action
Great source of research and information
Public watch dog
Access to government officials
Reinforces pluralistic aspect of
democracy.
• “Melting pot” contribution
– Heterogeneity of political culture
7-1
Percentage
of Americans Belonging to Various Groups
SIGs and Parties
Organized membership and pursuit of
policy goals because of shared interests.
• SIGs
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Influence
Specialists
Centralized
Tightly Organized
• Political Parties
– Populate government
– Control policy
– Generalists
– Decentralized
Why Organize?
• Increase the chance that their views will be
heard and they will be able to influence who
is in office and policy decisions.
• Interest groups enhance political
participation.
• Policy versus personnel influence.
• Primary tactics: education, mobilization,
lobbying, and monitoring government
actions.
Organizational Components
• Leadership
— Most groups are dominated by a strong
leadership.
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Money
Agency staff to carry out tasks
Passive members
Accordingly, groups are considered
oligarchic rather than democratic.
Why Join?
• Informational benefits - data sharing
and training
• Material benefits - monetary (pay and
perks)
• Solidary benefits - social, network
connections
• Purposive benefits - non materialistic
but issue specific
• Ideological - supporting liberal or
conservative agendas
The Free Rider
• Group benefits may be available to the
public (a collective benefit).
• No reason to join the group if you are
already receiving benefits
• Creates a “free rider” problem
The Characteristics of
Members
• Higher incomes
• Higher levels of education
• Work in management or professional
positions.
• Group membership has a very
pronounced upper-class bias.
Decline in Union Membership, 1948 to Present
7-4
Strategies: How to Shape Policy
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Lobbying
Electoral Politics
Going Public
Grassroots Mobilization
Litigation
Lobbying
• Lobbying is a strategy by which
organized interest groups seek to
influence the passage of legislation by
exerting pressure on members of the
legislature.
• Full time career
• Washington, D.C. - epicenter
• Revolving door between lobbyists
and government
• Money and bad press for “gifts”
Lobbying
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Personal contacts
Research and specialized information
Congressional testimony
Legal assistance - write legislative
proposals
• Follow up on execution
Using Electoral Politics versus
Direct Lobbying
• Many groups engage in electoral politics
to ensure the election of politicians
sympathetic to the groups interests.
— Campaign contributions through political
action committees
— Campaign activism
• “Issue advocacy” media uses to change
public opinion and influence elections.
Political Action Committees
PACs
• PACs - interest groups work in the
electoral arena.
• Watergate Scandal 1972
• PACs regulated by the Federal
Election Commission.
• Contributions are limited to $5,000 per
election.
• Attempts to reform have failed
– Opposed by business and labor
– Importance of soft money.
• DNC and foreign contributions for
influence.
PAC Campaign Activism
• Other than fund raising.
• Can be temporary.
• Republican efforts to increase voter
turnout very successful in 1994.
– NRA
– Christian coalition
• Not much support continued into 1996
for Bob Dole.
• Labor groups increasing efforts in
support of Democrats.
Gaining Access
• Groups must maintain access to the decision
making process through relationships with
Congress and agencies.
— Iron triangle (Interest groups, legislature,
executive agencies) fairly permanent
— Issue network (Add consultants, officials,
activists, academics) usually temporary
— Corridoring (Gaining influence within an
executive agency)
— Capture (Control of an agency)
Defense Oriented Iron Triangle
Going Public – Indirect Lobbying
• Going public is a strategy that attempts to
mobilize the public to support the groups
objective.
— Institutional advertising ( Creating a
positive group image)
— Social movements (Boycotts,
demonstrations, marches)
— Grassroots mobilization (Encouraging
members to contact legislators)
Using the Courts
• Groups sometimes turn to litigation when
they lack access or when they are
dissatisfied with governmental decisions.
• They finance individual litigation, provide
attorneys, or file amicus curiae briefs in
support of a particular position.
• Most expensive tactic.
• Used as a last resort at times to slow down
policy process.
Types of SIGs
• Economic
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Business (IBM, Farm Bureau Federation)
Labor (AFL-CIO, Teamsters)
Professional (ABA, AMA)
Trade (Industry specific - oil, telecomm, railroads)
• Social (NOW, NAACP, AIM, MALDEF)
• Religious (Christian Coalition, Catholic
Conference, Jewish Defense League)
• Ideological (People for the American Way,
Heritage Foundation)
• Public Interest (ACLU, Sierra Club, Common
Cause)
• Single Issue (National Abortion Rights
Campaign)
• Seniors (Gray Panthers, AARP)
AARP
• Originally single issue group with
selective benefits
• 33 million members
• $500 million income each year
• More circulation of magazine than
Time, Newsweek, and US News & World
Report combined
• Extremely powerful grassroots
capabilities
Regulatory Efforts
• Federal Lobbying Act of 1946
– Only applies to Congress
– Registration and employer identification
– Only applies to those declaring their principal
purpose is to try to directly influence legislation
– No agency to oversee
• Federal Election Campaign Act of 1974
– Watergate scandal
– limited campaign contributions
– dramatic increase in PACs (100 - 4500)
Putting it in Perspective
• Positives
– Fits nicely into pluralistic model
– Overlapping concerns results in cross-cutting
cleavage – not creating major polarization
• Negatives
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Not all represented
Unequal influences
Interest Group Elitism
Government gridlock
Groups and Interests:
The Dilemma
• Attempts to limit - First Amendment freedom
of speech and right to petition the government.
• Groups provide access to public officials.
• Business groups are most powerful
• Balance is inconsistent with democratic ideals.
• Groups have more impact than voters.
• Regulating groups limits freedom.
• Not really regulating groups limits equality.