interest groups political science i. copyright © texas education agency 2013. all rights reserved....

Interest GroupsPolitical Science I

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What is the nature of interest groups?


Nature of Interest Groups

• Interest group – (a.k.a. pressure group, organized interest, or special interest) a group of people who join for a political purpose and work together to influence public policies about their shared interests

• Have a variety of labels• Leagues• Associations• Clubs• Federations• Unions• Committees


Nature of Interest Groups (continued)

• Differences between interest groups and political parties• Interest groups do not nominate candidates for

public office• Interest groups want to influence policies, not

control the government• Interest groups are privately owned and focus only

on the issues that affect the interests of their members



• Functions• Stimulate interest in public affairs• Are vehicles for political participation• Transmit information between their group and the

government• Represent their members based on interests rather than

geography• Monitor public agencies and officials to hold them

accountable• Compete with other interest groups, which balances the

system



• Criticisms• Push their own interests without regard for the common

good• Allow unfair advantages for well-organized, better-

financed groups• Can be used as a front by small groups with narrow

interests• May not represent the actual views of their members• May use illegal tactics such as

• Bribery and other uses of money• Overt threats of revenge


What are the types of interest groups?


General Characteristics

• Any association that tries to influence public policy• Very wide range of

• Membership size• Societal level• Organization• Wealth• Foundational interests

• Economic (most common)• Geographic• Ideological• Sociological

• Many people are members of more than one interest group


Economic: Business Groups

• There are hundreds of business groups in the US

• Two of the best known are• National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) –

generally speaks for “big business”• Chamber of Commerce of the United States –

speaks for smaller businesses across the nation


Economic: Business Groups (continued)

• Trade associations• Are present in most segments of the business

community• Several industries are represented by the most

powerful interest groups today• Pharmaceutical• Oil• Natural gas


Economic: Labor Groups

• Labor union – is an organization of workers in a shared industry

• Press for the interests of their member-workers


Economic: Agricultural Groups

• Include many powerful associations• National Grange• American Farm Bureau Federation• National Farmers Union

• Include many groups that speak for the producers of specific products• Wheat Growers• National Cattlemen’s Beef Association

• Include other farm-related business groups• Pesticide manufacturers• Farm implement dealers


Economic: Professional Associations

• Are generally defined as occupations that require extensive training• Medicine• Law• Teaching

• Are generally not as effective as most business, labor, and farm groups, with the following exceptions• American Medical Association (AMA)• American Bar Association (ABA)• National Education Association (NEA)

• Do not have the membership of everyone practicing the represented profession (i.e. not all doctors are members of the AMA)


Issue-oriented Groups

• Are very numerous• Are devoted to supporting or opposing a

specific cause such as• Civil rights (American Civil Liberties Union

(ACLU))• Women’s rights (National Women’s Political

Caucus)• Conservation and Environmental Protection

(Sierra Club)


Organizations for Specific Groups

• Seek to promote the welfare of specific groups• Include the following examples

• Veterans (e.g. Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion)

• Senior Citizens (e.g. Older Americans, Inc., and the AARP)• Ethnic Groups

• African Americans (e.g. National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the National Urban League)

• Japanese Americans (e.g. Japanese American Citizens League)• Mexican Americans (e.g. Mexican American Legal Defense Fund)• Arab Americans (e.g. National Association of Arab Americans)


Religious Organizations

• Seek to promote the welfare of specific religious groups

• Include the following examples• Protestant (e.g. National Council of Churches, the

Christian Voice, and the Christian Coalition)• Catholic (e.g. National Catholic Welfare Council)• Jewish (e.g. American Jewish Congress and Anti-

Defamation League)


Public-Interest Groups

• Have a broader focus and work for the best interests of the overall community

• Seek policies that benefit all or most people regardless of their membership status in the organization

• Have become more prominent recently (e.g. the Common Cause)


How do interest groups affect public policy?


Directly Lobbying

• Lobbying – “process by which organized interests attempt to affect the decisions and actions of public officials” (McClenaghan, 2009)

• Lobbyists – people who represent interest groups and lobby for their causes


Directly Lobbying: Congress

• Prime place for making public policy in the federal government

• Approaches that lobbyists use include• Focus on individual members or on standing committees• Testify before congressional committees• Submit prepared statements• Make campaign contributions• Write speeches• Draft legislation• Move their efforts to another branch of government


Directly Lobbying: Executive Branch

• Writes many of the legislative details for the laws that Congress enacts

• Lobbyists • Focus on senior aides in the White House and

various agencies in the president’s administration• Rely on their network of contacts

• Director of Public Liaison’s primary job is to nurture the relationships of major and select interest groups


Directly Lobbying: The Courts

• Some interest groups use the courts as a means to incite change (e.g. National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and Brown vs. Topeka Board of Education)• Representing fringe groups in court• Filing an amicus curiae brief

• amicus curiae – means “friend of the court”• Is a written argument presenting support for one side of an

issue in a court case even though the submitter is not a party in the case

• Influencing the selection of federal judges


Indirectly: Using Grassroots Lobbying

• Grassroots pressures – “pressures from members of an interest group or from the people at large, often beginning at a very basic level—to bear on public officials” (McClenaghan, 2009)

• Methods• Communication from group members (e.g. letters, phone

calls, faxes, emails)• Internet (e.g. websites, email list, blogs, online

organizations)• Demonstrations and protest marches• Publish ratings of members of Congress


Indirectly: Shaping Public Opinion

• Persuade a significant amount of people to view the interest group and its cause in a positive manner

• Convince its supporters to communicate their opinion to Congress

• Methods• Advertisements• Group’s membership• Public figures• Mass media


Indirectly: Using Propaganda

• Is a technique of persuasion to influence behaviors• Has the goal to create a (true or false) belief • Must be presented in simple, interesting, and

credible terms• Does not use objective logic• Begins with conclusion and then supports it• Often uses name-calling (greedy, ultraliberal,

ultraconservative, etc.) and idealistic generalities (fair, just, etc.)


Indirectly: Electioneering

• Helps a candidate win public office in exchange for the official’s promoting of the interest group’s cause by• Shaping legislation• Allocating money

• Uses political action campaigns (PACs), which perform a wide range of tasks including• Make financial contributions• Hold fundraisers• Conduct voter registration and get-out-and-vote drives• Supply professional campaign consultants• Provide information for campaign speeches• Help the staff in local campaign offices

• Distribute campaign literature• Work phone banks• Take voters to the polls on election day


Resources

• McClenaghan, W. A. (2009). Magruder's American Government, Pearson.

• Remy, Ph.D., R. C. (2010), United States Government: Democracy in Action, Glencoe McGraw-Hill.

• Wilson, J. Q., Dilulio Jr., J. J., and Bose, M. (2011). American Government Institutions and Policies, Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

• http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/powers_of_persuasion/powers_of_persuasion_home.html

http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/powers_of_persuasion/powers_of_persuasion_home.html

http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/powers_of_persuasion/powers_of_persuasion_home.html

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