Interest Groups

1
Interest Groups Political Parties

• Linking citizens to government

2
Interest Groups

• Groups of individuals and/or institutions united
  by shared opinions or interests and organized
  together in an effort to influence political
  outcomes. (Grigsby text)
• Primary goal to influence public policy as it
  affects their members.

3
Interest Groups in the U.S.

• From the beginning, Americans have joined groups
  for political purposes.
• Alexis de Tocqueville noted in the 1830s that,
  Americans form associations for the smallest
  undertakings.
• Still true.

4
Different than Political Parties

• Interest groups dont seek to win electoral
  office, although they may promote a particular
  candidate or public policy.

5
Government Interest Groups

• Three Patterns in Democracies
• Interest Group Pluralism
• Democratic Corporatism
• State Autonomy
• Nondemocratic Patterns
• Informal limited feedback
• State Corporatism

6
Interest Group Pluralism

• Groups operate outside of government in a
  competitive environment, providing citizens with
  multiple avenues to affect public policy.
  Government often responds to this interest group
  pressure. Controversy arises if groups are seen
  as too involved in policy making.
• This pattern is found in the U.S., Canada and New
  Zealand.

7
Democratic Corporatism

• In other democracies, economic interest groups
  are formally involved in the government
  decision-making process, acting as partners in
  setting policy. Those groups include labor
  unions, businesses, health professionals,
  educators.
• This pattern is found in Sweden, Norway, Denmark,
  Austria and the Netherlands.

8
State Autonomy

• In some instances, democratic policy makers do
  not consider interest group pressure, when they
  feel confident of their expertise and judgment.
  The text provides the example of some British
  economic policies.

9
Interest groups in non-democratic regimes

• Interest groups still exist but their strategies
  differ letter writing campaigns, work stoppages
  or soliciting support from other countries (a
  risky strategy).
• Government may formally include groups through
  state corporatism. Group participation is not
  independent, however. They are expected to
  promote the governments agenda ensure
  acceptance of their rank-and-file members.

10
Types of interest groups

• Anomic
• Non-associational
• Institutional
• Associational

11
Types of interest groups

• Anomic interest groups. These spring into being
  as a result of some crisis or specific event. No
  formal structure or leaders.
• Any examples?

12
Anomic - examples

• Two examples recently in France
• Disaffected immigrant youths in poor urban areas
  protesting discrimination. Dozens of buildings
  hundreds of cars destroyed. (fall 2005)
• Disaffected white youths protesting a new labor
  law that makes permits employers to fire younger
  workers more easily. 69 of 84 campuses partly
  closed and 25 of high schools (spring 2006)

13
Types of interest groups

• Nonassociational groups. These have no formal
  organization and in fact no sense of themselves
  as being members of a group, but are regarded by
  others as if they were a formal group.
• Any examples?

14
Nonassociational - Examples

• Consumers
• Soccer Moms NASCAR Dads
• University students

15
Types of interest groups

• Institutional groups. These are organized for
  other purposes but deal in politics to advance
  their institutional interests.
• Any examples?

16
Institutional Interest Groups

• Click on this website http//www.nmsu.edu/legisl
  at/
• NMSU legislative priorities

17
Types of interest groups

• Associational groups. These are organized for
  political activity although they also may engage
  in other activity.
• Any examples?

18
Associational groups in the U.S.

• Five types
• 1. Economic interests. Trade association,
  corporations, labor unions, professional groups
  like the ABA AMA.
• 2. Public interest. Good government groups
  like Common Cause and the League of Women Voters.
• 3. Single issue. Groups focus almost
  exclusively on such policies as abortion, gun
  control, school prayer, etc.

19
Associational groups in the U.S.

• 4. Ideological groups, which may encompass the
  above issues but are broader, such as the
  Christian Coalition on the right and People for
  the American Way on the left.
• 5. Groups that represent particular
  constituents, such as the AARP, NOW and the
  NAACP.

20
Identify the type of interest group

• The National Union of Students in the UK (United
  Kingdom) provides membership cards, lobbies
  government ministers, gives student awards.
• The U.S. Army provides training housing for
  recruits engages in military operations, and
  occasionally testifies before Congress regarding
  new weapons systems, budget allocations, base
  closings, etc.

21
Interest group strategies

• 1.) Direct lobbying of policy makers
• a. contact legislators executive officials
  one-on-one to establish good working
  relationship, and sometimes to persuade them to
  support particular legislation.
• b. formal advice or testimony to legislature or
  agency, providing technical information or
  specialized knowledge.

22
Interest group strategies

• 2.) Grassroots lobbying public information
  campaigns to influence and mobilize ordinary
  people, so that they will put pressure on
  government officials.

23
Interest group strategies

• 3.) Campaign involvement, supporting or
  opposing candidates and proposals. Support may
  be through official endorsements, direct
  financial contributions, indirect (or
  independent) expenditures, running issue ads, and
  bundling PAC contributions with like-minded
  groups.

24
Interest group strategies

• 4.) Litigation strategies involved in court
  cases either directly as plaintiffs or indirectly
  by filing "friend of court" (amicus curiae)
  briefs on one side or the other.
• Legal strategy began in U.S. with civil rights
  movement now extensively used by wide array of
  groups.

25
Interest group strategies

• 5.) Lawful unlawful protest to bring issues to
  the national agenda. Includes
• Economic disruptions, e.g., strikes
  boycotts Rallies and demonstrations, e.g.,
  the current antiwar protests
• Sabotage
• Threats of violence