chapter 10
TRANSCRIPT
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
Chapter 10: Interest Groups
• The Role of Interest Groups• Theories of Interest Group Politics• What Makes an Interest Group Successful• How Groups Try to Shape Policy• Types of Interest Groups• Understanding Interest Groups• Summary
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
Chapter Outline and Learning Objectives
• The Role of Interest Groups• LO 10.1: Describe the role of interest
groups in American politics.
• Theories of Interest Group Politics• LO 10.2: Compare and contrast the theories
of pluralism, elitism, and hyperpluralism.
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Chapter Outline and Learning Objectives
• What Makes an Interest Group Successful• LO 10.3: Analyze the factors which make
some interest groups more successful than others in the political arena.
• How Groups Try to Shape Policy• LO 10.4: Assess the four basic strategies
which interest groups use to try to shape policy.
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Chapter Outline and Learning Objectives
• Types of Interest Groups• LO 10.5: Identify the various types of
interest groups and their policy concerns.
• Understanding Interest Groups• LO 10.6: Evaluate how well Madison’s ideas
for controlling the influence of interest groups have worked in practice.
The Role of Interest GroupsLO 10.1: Describe the role of interest groups in American politics.
• 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.
• Encyclopedia of Associations – A list of 25,000 groups in 2009.
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Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
The Role of Interest Groups
• Interest groups are distinct from political 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.
To Learning Objectives
LO 10.1
Theories of Interest Group PoliticsLO 10.2: Compare and contrast the theories of pluralism, elitism, and hyperpluralism.
• Pluralism• Elitism• Hyperpluralism
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Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
Theories of Interest Group Politics
• Pluralist Theory• Competition among groups trying to get
their preferred policies.
• Elite Theory• Upper-class elite holds most of the power
and run government.
• Hyperpluralist Theory• Groups are so strong that government is
weakened.To Learning Objectives
LO 10.2
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Theories of Interest Group Politics
• Pluralism• Groups provide a link between the people
and the government.• Groups compete and no one group will
become too dominant.• Groups play by “rules the game.”• Groups weak in one resource may use
another.• Lobbying is open to all groups.
To Learning Objectives
LO 10.2
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Theories of Interest Group Politics
• Elitism• Groups are unequal in power.• Awesome power is held by the largest
corporations.• Power of a few is fortified by interlocking
directorates.• Other groups win minor policy battles, but
corporate elites win the big decisions.
To Learning Objectives
LO 10.2
To Learning ObjectivesCopyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
LO 10.2
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Theories of Interest Group Politics
• Hyperpluralism• Groups have become too powerful as
government tries to appease every conceivable interest.
• Interest group liberalism is aggravated by numerous iron triangles.
• Trying to please every group results in contradictory and confusing policy.
To Learning Objectives
LO 10.2
What Makes an Interest Group SuccessfulLO 10.3: Analyze the factors which make some interest groups more successful than others in the political arena.
• The Surprising Ineffectiveness of Large Groups
• Intensity• Financial Resources
To Learning ObjectivesCopyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
To Learning ObjectivesCopyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
LO 10.3
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What Makes an Interest Group Successful
• Surprising Ineffectiveness of Large Groups• Potential group – People who might be
group members because they share some common interest.
• Actual group – Potential group members who actually join group.
• Collective good – Something of value that cannot be withheld from a potential group member.
To Learning Objectives
LO 10.3
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What Makes an Interest Group Successful
• Surprising Ineffectiveness of Large Groups (cont.)• Free-rider problem – Problem of people
not joining because they can benefit from the group’s activities without joining.
• Selective benefits – Goods that a group can restrict to those who actually join.
To Learning Objectives
LO 10.3
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What Makes an Interest Group Successful
• Intensity• A large potential group may be mobilized
through an issue that people feel intensely about.
• Politicians are more likely to listen a group that shows it cares deeply about an issue.
• Single-issue groups – Narrow interest, dislike compromise, and members are new to politics.
To Learning Objectives
LO 10.3
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What Makes an Interest Group Successful
• Financial Resources• Not all groups have equal amounts of
money.• Monetary donations translate into access
to the politicians, such as a phone call, meeting, or support for policy.
• Wealthier groups have more resources and access but they do not always win on policy.
To Learning Objectives
LO 10.3
How Groups Try to Shape PolicyLO 10.4: Assess the four basic strategies which interest groups use to try to shape policy.
• Lobbying• Electioneering• Litigation• Going Public
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Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
How Groups Try to Shape Policy
• Lobbying• Communication to a governmental decision
maker with the hope of influencing his or her decision.
• Lobbyists are (1) a source of information; (2) helping to get legislation passed; (3) helping to formulate campaign strategy; and (4) a source of ideas and innovations.
To Learning Objectives
LO 10.4
LO 10.4
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Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
How Groups Try to Shape Policy
• Electioneering• Direct group involvement in the electoral
process by helping to fund campaigns, getting members to work for candidates, and forming political action committees (PACs).
• PACs are political funding vehicles created by the 1974 campaign finance reforms.
To Learning Objectives
LO 10.4
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How Groups Try to Shape Policy
• Litigation• Amicus curiae briefs – Written arguments
submitted to the courts in support of one side of a case.
• Class action lawsuits – Enable a group of people in a similar situation to combine their common grievances into a single suit.
To Learning Objectives
LO 10.4
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How Groups Try to Shape Policy
• Going Public• Groups try to (1) cultivate a good public
image; (2) build a reservoir of goodwill with the public; (3) use marketing strategies to influence public opinion of the group and its issues; and (4) advertise to motivate and inform the public about an issue.
To Learning Objectives
LO 10.4
To Learning ObjectivesCopyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
LO 10.4
Types of Interest GroupsLO 10.5: Identify the various types of interest groups and their policy concerns.
• Economic Interests• Environmental Interests• Equality Interests• Consumer and Other Public Interest
Lobbies
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Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
Types of Interest Groups
• Economic Interests• Labor – Union organizations press for
policies to ensure better working conditions and higher wages.
• Business – Interests generally are unified when it comes to promoting greater profits but are often fragmented when policy choices have to be made.
To Learning Objectives
LO 10.5
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LO 10.5
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Types of Interest Groups
• Environmental Interests• Environmental groups promote policies to
control pollution, combat global warming, protect wilderness, and preserve species.
• They oppose supersonic aircraft, nuclear power plants, drilling in AK’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and strip mining.
To Learning Objectives
LO 10.5
To Learning ObjectivesCopyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
LO 10.5
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Types of Interest Groups
• Equality Interests• Two sets of interest groups, representing
minorities and women, have made equal rights their main policy goal.
• Equality groups press for equality at the polls, in housing, on the job, in education, and in all other facets of American life.
To Learning Objectives
LO 10.5
To Learning ObjectivesCopyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
LO 10.5
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Types of Interest Groups
• Consumer and Other Public Interest Lobbies• Public interest lobbies – Groups that
seek a collective good, the achievement of which will not selectively and materially benefit the membership or activists of the organization.
To Learning Objectives
LO 10.5
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Types of Interest Groups
• Consumer and Other Public Interest Lobbies (cont.)• Consumer groups – In 1973, Congress
responded to consumer advocacy by creating the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which it authorized to regulate all consumer products and to ban products that were dangerous.
To Learning Objectives
LO 10.5
Understanding Interest GroupsLO 10.6: Evaluate how well Madison’s ideas for controlling the influence of interest groups have worked in practice.
• Interest Groups and Democracy• Interest Groups and the Scope of
Government
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Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
Understanding Interest Groups
• Interest Groups and Democracy• James Madison wanted a wide-open
system in which groups compete.• Pluralists – Public interest prevails from
this competition.• Elite theorists – Proliferation of business
PACs is evidence of interest group corruption.
• Hyperpluralists – Influence of groups lead to policy gridlock.
To Learning Objectives
LO 10.6
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Understanding Interest Groups
• Interest Groups and the Scope of Government• Interest groups seek to maintain policies
and programs that benefit them.• Interest groups pressure government to do
more things.• As the government does more, more
groups form to get more.
To Learning Objectives
LO 10.6
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LO 10.1Summary
• The Role of Interest Groups• Interest groups consist of groups that
participate in the political process in order to promote the policy goals which members share.
• They usually focus their efforts on one specific issue area, unlike political parties, which have to address all issues on the public agenda.
To Learning Objectives
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Interest groups are often policy .
A. specialists
B. generalists
C. regulators
D. implementors
To Learning Objectives
LO 10.1
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Interest groups are often policy .
A. specialists
B. generalists
C. regulators
D. implementors
To Learning Objectives
LO 10.1
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LO 10.2Summary
• Theories of Interest Group Politics• The theory of pluralism asserts that the
policymaking process is very open to the participation of all interest groups with no single group usually dominating.
• Pluralists tend to believe that as a result the public interest generally prevails.
To Learning Objectives
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LO 10.2Summary
• Theories of Interest Group Politics (cont.)• Elitism contends that an upper-class elite holds
the power and makes policy, regardless of the formal governmental organization.
• Hyperpluralism – So many groups are so strong that government is weakened and its ability to make effective policy is crippled.
To Learning Objectives
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Which of the following is NOT an element of the pluralist group theory of politics?
A. Groups provide a crucial link between people and government.
B. Groups usually follow the rules of the game.
C. Groups compete with each other.D. Groups become too dominant.
LO 10.2
To Learning Objectives
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Which of the following is NOT an element of the pluralist group theory of politics?
A. Groups provide a crucial link between people and government.
B. Groups usually follow the rules of the game.
C. Groups compete with each other.D. Groups become too dominant.
LO 10.2
To Learning Objectives
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LO 10.3Summary
• What Makes an Interest Group Successful• Groups that have large numbers of potential
members are usually less effective than groups that have a smaller potential membership, because it is easier to mobilize members of a smaller group, who have more incentive to participate.
To Learning Objectives
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LO 10.3Summary
• What Makes an Interest Group Successful (cont.)• Both large and small groups can benefit from
the intensity of their members’ beliefs.• Money always helps lubricate the wheels of
power, though it is hardly a surefire guarantee of success.
To Learning Objectives
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The more a group has, the more successful it tends to be.
A. intensity
B. financial resources
C. potential members
D. all of the above
LO 10.3
To Learning Objectives
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The more a group has, the more successful it tends to be.
A. intensity
B. financial resources
C. potential members
D. all of the above
LO 10.3
To Learning Objectives
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LO 10.4Summary
• How Groups Try to Shape Policy• Lobbying is one group strategy and lobbyists
are most effective with those legislators already sympathetic to their side.
• Electioneering becomes critical because it helps put supportive people in office.
To Learning Objectives
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LO 10.4Summary
• How Groups Try to Shape Policy (cont.)• Groups operate in the judicial as well as the
legislative process using litigation in the courts when lobbying fails or is not enough.
• Many groups project a good image employing public relations techniques to present themselves in the most favorable light.
To Learning Objectives
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Which of the following is NOT a tactic interest groups use?
A. Lobbying to influence policy.B. Forming political action committees to
influence elections.C. Fielding candidates for office in general
elections.D. Litigating to influence policy through the
courts.
LO 10.4
To Learning Objectives
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Which of the following is NOT a tactic interest groups use?
A. Lobbying to influence policy.B. Forming political action committees to
influence elections.C. Fielding candidates for office in general
elections.D. Litigating to influence policy through the
courts.
LO 10.4
To Learning Objectives
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LO 10.5Summary
• Types of Interest Groups• Economic interest groups involve business and
labor, with business focusing on governmental regulations and subsidies and labor focusing on policies to ensure good working conditions and wages.
• Environmental interests are global warming, pollution, wilderness protection, and endangered species.
To Learning Objectives
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LO 10.5Summary
• Types of Interest Groups (cont.)• Equality interest groups promote the fair
treatment of groups that have been discriminated against in the past such as African Americans and women.
• Public interest lobbies pursue policy objectives that they believe will benefit all citizens such as consumer protection laws.
To Learning Objectives
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Which of the following type of interest group tends to push for a collective good?
A. Consumer groups
B. Environmental groups
C. Equality groups
D. All of the above
LO 10.5
To Learning Objectives
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Which of the following type of interest group tends to push for a collective good?
A. Consumer groups
B. Environmental groups
C. Equality groups
D. All of the above
LO 10.5
To Learning Objectives
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LO 10.6Summary
• Understanding Interest Groups• The issue of controlling interest groups
remains as crucial to democracy today as it was in James Madison’s time.
• Some scholars (Pluralist Theory) believe that the growth of interest groups has worked to divide political influence just as Madison hoped it would.
To Learning Objectives
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LO 10.6Summary
• Understanding Interest Groups (cont.)• Critics of the Pluralist Theory (Elite Theory
and Hyperpluralist Theory) focus on the political action committee (PAC) system as the new way in which special interests corrupt American democracy as well as the problem of too many groups having too much power to block policy change.
To Learning Objectives
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Which theory of interest group politics best correlates with Madison’s ideas for controlling interest groups?
A. Hyperpluralist Theory
B. Elite Theory
C. Pluralist Theory
D. Class Theory
LO 10.6
To Learning Objectives
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Which theory of interest group politics best correlates with Madison’s ideas for controlling interest groups?
A. Hyperpluralist Theory
B. Elite Theory
C. Pluralist Theory
D. Class Theory
LO 10.6
To Learning Objectives
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Text Credits
• Quote from Americans Against Food Taxes ad used with permission.
• “The Power 25” from FORTUNE, May 28, 2001 Time Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission and protected by the Copyright Laws of the United States. The printing, copying, redistribution, or retransmission of the Material without express written permission is prohibited.
• “The Power 25” from FORTUNE, © May 28, 2001 Time Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission and protected by the Copyright Laws of the United States. The printing, copying, redistribution, or retransmission of the Material without express written permission is prohibited.
• Statistical Abstract of the United States, 2010, table 650, http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2010/tables/10s0650.pdf. Federal Election Commission.
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Photo Credits
• 317: Getty Images
• 367: Jim Bourgman. Reprinted with special permission of King Feature Syndicate
• 336: Jeffrey Markowitz/Corbis
• 338: Getty Images
• 339: Getty Images
• 340: AP Photos