Interest Groups

Benefits

• Help address the Free-rider problem:– “public goods can be enjoyed by everyone,

including people who do not pay their fair share of the cost of providing those goods”

– Provide selective benefits, organize efforts, give “do-getters” an outlet

Scholarly Attitudes

• Theodore Lowi– Help address the Free-rider problem:• “public goods can be enjoyed by everyone, including

people who do not pay their fair share of the cost of providing those goods”• Organize efforts, give “go-getters” an outlet

Scholarly Attitudes

• Theodore Lowi– Help address the Free-rider problem:• “public goods can be enjoyed by everyone, including

people who do not pay their fair share of the cost of providing those goods”• Organize efforts, give “go-getters” an outlet

• Dahl– Pluralist Perspective• Groups are inevitable at all ranges• Will balance each other out

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2009)

• 1st Amendment protects of free speech extends to businesses and organizations

• Congress cannot limit campaign donations

Obama, on the decision…

• “a major victory for big oil, Wall Street banks, health insurance companies and the other powerful interests that marshal their power every day in Washington to drown out the voices of everyday Americans.”

Barack Obama

John McCain

Obama, on public financing (2007)

“My plan requires both major party candidates to agree on a fundraising truce, return excess money from donors, and stay within the public financing system for the general election...If I am the Democratic nominee, I will aggressively pursue an agreement with the Republican nominee to preserve a publicly financed general election.”

If no PACs or public finance, where does the money come from?

• White House Spokesman Ben Labolt:– Obama "didn't accept a dime from corporate PACs

or federal lobbyists…He raised $750 million from nearly 4 million Americans,"

Goldman-Sachs Donations

University of California

How do we feel about a university donating to a political campaign?

CNN

“In the 2008 election, three out of every four dollars contributed by Goldman Sachs went to Democrats.

“Since the 2008 election, FEC reports indicate that Goldman Sachs has contributed generously to Senate Banking Committee and House Financial Services Committee members. The two panels are responsible for oversight of the industry.”

“Own Washington”

• Do lobby dollars influence Congressional voting?– McConnell: “Prove it.”

• Why/why not?

Rules for a Series of One Shot Games with Different Partners

1. Find a partner, preferably someone you do not know well.2. Do NOT communicate with your partner about your

intentions. A “poker face” is a must. 3. Write down whether you will “cooperate” or defect” on

the table in the sheet you are given. Secretly write "C" if you plan to cooperate with your fellow prisoner and keep silent; write "D" if you plan to defect and tell the authorities everything.

4. Using the matrix above, compare your decision with your partner’s and determine how many years YOU will spend in prison.

5. Mark down your sentence (10, 2, or 0 years) and switch partners.

Rules for Iterated Series of Games with SAME Partner

1. Choose a partner with whom you have NOT played before.

2. Play the game repeatedly with the same person. You will not know exactly how long the game will continue. Keep playing and recording your scores until the instructor tells you to stop.

The Joker’s “Social Experiment”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4GAQtGtd_0

The Joker’s “Social Experiment”

Let’s walk through some alternatives…