Interest Groups

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Interest Groups
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What are interest groups?

• Organized group that tries to influence public
  policy
• Can include
• Unions, trade associations, public interest
  groups, businesses, state/local govt, others

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Interest Groups Good or Evil?

• Do interest group corrupt our political system or
  do they provide a useful and proper function?
• The ease of interest group formation is a sign of
  our strong democratic culture
• May not offer equal representation
• Push self-interest type policies

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Why are groups formed?

• Inadequate or scarce resources
• Patrons develop
• Disturbance Theory
• groups form in part to counteract efforts of
  other groups
• Groups arise in response to change
• Many PIGs developed in response to civil rights,
  anti-Vietnam, more protection

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Types of Groups

• Economic Groups
• interest groups that function chiefly to produce
  economic goods and services.
• Public Interest Groups
• group that seeks a collective good that will not
  selectively benefit a member
• Multi-issue vs. Single-issue groups

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Other Group Types

• Religious and Ideological
• Business Groups and Trade Associations
• Organized Labor
• Professional Associations (AMA, ABA)

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Is the system biased?

• According to a pluralist system
• all significant interests of the population
  should be represented
• government should listen to the views of all
  major interest when developing policy
• Is this the case?

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Roots and History

• Framers concerned about the mischief of
  factions
• Decentralization would neutralize
• Federalists were themselves a type of interest
  group

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Interest Group Functions

• Lobbying
• process that groups attempt to assert their
  influence on the policy process
• Provides information to policy makers
• Information is favorable to group

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Lobbying Government

• Congress
• provides important source of information
• often work w/those they share interests
• reform has focused on disclosure
• Executive Branch
• increase lobbying here and at many points
• Courts

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Other Forms of Lobbying

• Grassroots lobbying
• attempts to involve membership in the lobbying
  activity
• much more sophisticated today
• Protest activities

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Election Activities

• Endorsements
• Candidate ratings
• League of Conservation Voters Dirty Dozen
• Creating parties
• PACs

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Interest Group Success

• Leaders
• Funding and Resources
• grants, membership dues, direct mail
• Membership
• Agenda Setting capabilities
• Private interest vs. public goods
• Free Rider Problem

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Interest Groups and Their Members

• Exchange Relationship
• Groups get financial support from its members,
  but it must also provide them with some benefits.
• What are these benefits?
• Purposive
• Material
• Solidarity

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Can or should we reform the current system?

• Great differences in resources will likely lead
  to interest group differences
• Difficult to do without limiting freedom
• Are some advantages unacceptable?
• Perhaps if they limit the opportunity to be heard
• PAC donations access versus influence -- is
  there a difference?