Interest Groups

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Interest group: any organization that seeks to influence public policy

Many kinds of cleavages in the country mean that there are many different interests

cdproject.net2

aviewfromtheright.com

The Constitution provides many access points to government

Political parties are weak so interests work directly on government

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PresidentCongressGovernorState LegislaturesCourtsGovernment Agencies

animalagriculture.org

1. Economic developments that have created new interests and redefined old ones

Subsistence farming vs. cash crops

Craftspeople vs. mass production

2. Government policies War creates veterans groups Professional societies and

state licenses4

worldcarfans.com

owatonnavfw.com

3. Changing social circumstances

Anti-slavery organizations

Civil Rights organizations

4. Government activities Corporate and labor

policies Environmental policies

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applaudablog.com

en.wikipedia.org

Institutional Interests: individuals or organizations representing other organizations

U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Membership Interests: Individuals who engage in

political or civil action NAACP - NRA

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greenspotblog.com

meacswacsports.blogspot.com

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Solidary incentives—people join for a sense of pleasure, status, or companionship

PTA, League of Women Voters – can have an impact on the local and national level

Material incentives— people join to receive money, things, services

AARP, Farm Bureaus8

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belleflora.wordpress.com

Purposive incentives—recruit members to attain a goal or purpose of the organization

Two Types Ideological interest groups –

appeal to people’s political convictions or principles

Pro-Choice, Anti-Abortion Public –Interest Lobby-

organization whose goals will primarily satisfy non-members

Ralph Nader, Greenpeace

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opensecrets.org

medcitynews.com

Social movement: a widely shared demand for change in the social or political order, either liberal or conservative

Examples include the environmental and feminist movements

Unions continued activism after their social movement died, but sustaining membership is difficult

Scandal, dramatic activity, strong leader

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ha-ka.dk

Foundation grants

◦One study found that 1/3 of public interest lobbying groups received more than half of all their funds from foundation grants

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http://www.topfoundationgrants.com/

bcfamily.ca

standupforamerica.wordpress.com

Federal grants and contracts

◦Expansion of federal grants in1960s and 1970s benefited interest groups; cutbacks in between 1980 and 2010 have hurt them

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seeklogo.com

The Eli Home provides shelters for abused children and their mothers as well as permanent shared housing. (Anaheim, CA)

fiskeroforangecounty.com

◦President Bush and President Obama – Faith Based Initiatives is a federal program that seeks to vastly expand opportunities for religious organizations and faith-based institutions to receive federal

◦social service grants.

◦ Under this initiative, for the first time, houses of worship and

◦ other pervasively sectarian ◦Institutions are eligible for billions of

taxpayer dollars.

13http://www.hhs.gov/fbci/

atcmag.com

Direct mail: through the use of computers, mail is sent directly to a specialized audience

But this approach is also expensive—it must generate checks from at least 2 percent of the people contacted

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smg2020.com

Those who are more affluent are more likely to join and be active

Business/professional groups are more numerous and better financed than those representing minorities, consumers, or the disadvantaged

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lowdensitylifestyle.com

mbklaw.com

Elites have input in the political system but do not control who eventually wins or loses on particular issues

Business groups are often divided among themselves

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cleveland.com

mustangaccessories.net

Supplying credible information is the single most important tactic of interest groups

Insider strategy: face-to-face contact between lobbyist and member or Hill staff

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dclobbyist.yolasite.com

Outsider strategy: grassroots mobilization of the public

Political Cues – signal to a legislator how an issue fits into their political views or party agenda

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photoshelter.com

Lobbyists’ key targets: the undecided legislator or bureaucrat

Some groups attack their likely allies to embarrass them

Many public interest groups do better when the government is hostile

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stop-obama.org

PAC: a committee set up to raise and spend money on campaigns and candidates

Money is one of the least effective way to influence politicians

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opensecrets.org

wisconsingunowners.org

There is no systematic evidence that PAC money influences votes in Congress

Ideological PACs raise more money, but raising the money also consumes it, so less is available to give to campaigns and candidates

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opensecrets.org

opensecrets.org

Unions (Democrats) and business/professional organizations (Republicans) give the most PAC money

Incumbents get the most PAC money

Most Congressional members vote in line with their ideology and with their constituents

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When an issue is of little concern to voters and ideology provides little guidance, there is a slight correlation between PAC contributions and votes

PAC money may influence politics in other ways, like access or committee actions

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Federal government workers leave to take more lucrative positions in private industry (lobbying, consulting, executive positions)

This may give private interests a way to improperly influence government decisions

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barefootfloor.com

Tax code; nonprofits lose tax-exempt status if a “substantial part” of their activities involve lobbying

Campaign-finance laws limit donations by individual PACs – Candidates and Parties

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The Ethics in Government Act of 1978 passed in 1978 in the wake of the Watergate Scandal that sets financial disclosure requirements for public officials and restrictions on former government employees' lobbying activities.

The Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007 strengthens public disclosure requirements concerning lobbying activity and funding, places more restrictions on gifts for members of Congress and their staff, and provides for mandatory disclosure of

earmarks in expenditure bills.26

“Ambition must be made to counteract

ambition. “

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