8 Interest Groups

Interest Groups

Interest groups are groups of citizens who share a common interest, whether a political opinion, religious affiliation, ideological belief, social goal, or economic objective, and that try to influence public policy to benefit their members.

• Constitutionally, they are protected under the 1st Amendment’s right of freedom of association (right to assemble).

• They are also the very factions that Madison warned about.

Types of Interest Groups

The Right of Petition

Interest groups do not exist in a void. The form for the specific purpose of influencing public policy.

• The right of petition gives individuals with a claim against the government the right to ask for compensation, but it also includes the right to petition to ask for a policy change or to express opposition to a policy.

Lobbying

Today, the rights of association and petition most often take the form of lobbying.

• Trying to persuade elected officials to adopt or reject a specific policy change.• Lobbying is a legitimate form of petitioning, and interest

groups of all sizes and purposes engage in it.

How Does Lobbying Work?

Interest groups lobby the legislative, executive, and even judicial branches of government, at the state and federal levels. • Meet with staff aides to members of Congress to make the

case for their policy goals.• Try to influence the executive branch by meeting personally

with key bureaucrats and policy makers.• Lobbying of the judicial branch takes the form of lawsuits

against government policies that interest groups see as fundamentally unconstitutional or that go against the original intent of a law.

The History of Interest GroupsThe History of Interest Groups

Abolition• American Anti-Slavery Society in 1833

Women’s rights• National Woman Suffrage Association in 1869

Trade Associations• National Association of Wool Manufacturers in 1864

The History of Interest GroupsThe History of Interest Groups

Abolitionists used starkimagery and words to rallycitizens against slavery.

In 1843 Lydia Maria Childcompiled The AmericanAnti-Slavery Almanac. Itscover alone makes the casefor abolition. Child was awriter and editor who wasalso active in the women’ssuffrage movement.

The History of Interest Groups continued

Veteran’s rights• The Grand Army of the Republic in 1866

Prohibition• Anti-Saloon League of America in 1895

Labor Organizations• International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union in 1900

– Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire

Interest Groups TodayToday, business and trade associations, unions,

citizens’ organizations, and grassroots movements are a familiar part of the landscape of interest group politics.• Business and Trade– The Chamber of Congress• Unions– American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial

Organizations (AFL-CIO)• Citizen’s Organizations– National Rifle Association (NRA)• Grassroots Movements– Greenpeace

Interest Groups Today – Union Membership

Economic Interest Groups

Economic interest groups form to advance the economic status of their members and are defined by a specific set of financial or business concerns. • Trade associations are a subcategory of economic interest

groups that focus on particular businesses or industries. – Chamber of Commerce

• Professional associations are similar, as they are formed by individuals who share a similar job.– American Bar Association

Economic Interest Groups continued

• Large corporations can be included as a type of economic interest group, because they try to influence policy on their own as well as joining trade associations comprised of businesses with similar goals.–Wal-Mart

Economic Interest Groups continued

Ideological Interest Groups

Ideological interest groups form among citizens with the same beliefs about a specific issue.

• Citizens’ Groups– Citizens groups are typically formed to draw attention to

public issues that affect all citizens equally, such as environmental protection, transparency in government, consumer product safety, ethics reform, and campaign finance reform.

Ideological Interest Groups continued

Ideological Groups and Polarization

• Because ideological groups get power from the fact that they have agreement within their ranks on a highly salient issue, it discourages debate and disagreement within the group and any type of compromise outside the group. This leads to polarization between ideologically opposed groups.– Polarization is the condition in which differences between

parties and/or the public are so stark that disagreement breaks out, fueling attacks and controversy.

Foreign Policy Groups

The Coalition to Save DarfurThe Coalition to Save Darfur is an interest group that mobilizes people to e-mail, call, or send letters to their legislators on behalf of its effort to end violence and famine in the Darfur region of the African nation of Somalia.

In 2006 thousands joined a grassroots rally in New York City to express their support for sending United Nations troops to Darfur to help stop the violence there.

What Interest Groups Do

What Interest Groups Do continued

• Lobby– Almost every kind of group, with every kind of economic

interest or political opinion, engages in one form of lobbying or another.

– Lobbyists• According to the Center for Responsive Politics, in 2009

there were 13,739 individuals registered as active lobbyists in Washington, D.C.• Phone, e-mail, or meet with congressional staffers,

their clients, and possibly members of the media to gather information about relevant issues for their clients or to promote their clients’ policy positions.

Top Spenders on Lobbying

What Interest Groups Do continued

What Interest Groups Do continued

• Campaign Activities– Interest groups also promote their views by engaging in

campaign activities, though federal law regulates their participation.

– 501(c)(3) Groups have a tax-exempt status and are prohibited from engaging in any activity on behalf of a candidate or party in an election campaign.

– Political Action Committees raise funds to support electoral candidates and are subject to campaign finance laws.

– Issue Advocacy is the practice of running advertisements or distributing literature on a policy issue rather than a specific candidate.

Top Twenty PAC Contributors

The Impact of Interest Groups on the Democratic Process

Do interest groups provide a natural balance or do they create disproportionate power?

• Robert Dahl argued that in a pluralist society, the varied interest groups that emerge to represent their members will, in their battles over public policy, produce a consensus that serves the public’s common interest.– Pluralist is a view of democratic society in which interest

groups compete over policy goals and elected officials are mediators of group conflict.

The Impact of Interest Groups continued

• Theodore Lowi argued that in a democracy some voices are louder than others and that government is more responsive to louder voices and will consistently serve those groups at the expense of those who cannot make their voices heard.– Elitist is a view of democratic society in which only a select

few interest groups shape policies in favor of a small group of wealthy or powerful citizens.

– Special Interests are a set of groups seeking a particular benefit for themselves in the policy process.

Interest Groups as a Threat to Democracy

In his Farewell Address in 1961, PresidentDwight D. Eisenhower (1953–61) warned of whathe called the military-industrial complex.• A self-serving interconnection among the U.S. military,

the defense manufacturing industry, and federal agencies overseeing military expenditures and production. – Iron Triangle describes the insular and closed relationship

among interest groups, members of Congress, and federal agencies.

– Revolving Door describes the movement of members of Congress, lobbyists, and executive branch employees into paid positions in each other’s organizations.

Interest Groups as a Threat to Democracy – Iron Triangle

Issue Networks

Interest group scholar Hugh Heclo claims that the interconnections of interest groups and the government is more benign, suggesting that the term “issue networks” is better than “iron triangle” to describes the relationship. •View of the relationship among interest groups, members of Congress, and federal agencies as more fluid, open, and transparent than the term “iron triangle.”•Congress and the federal bureaucracy each have an elaborate set of rules governing their behavior with respect to interest groups and lobbyists, and most members and bureaucrats follow them closely.

Characteristics of Successful Interest Groups

Leadership Accountability• Transparency• Membership feedback

Membership Stability• Whether a group is small or large, attracting and keeping

members over time are essential to its survival. – Selective benefits– Solidarity Benefits– Expressive Benefits

Successful Interest Groups continued

– The Free Rider Problem»Many of the benefits that large interest groups

seek on behalf of their members—clean air by the Sierra Club, or gun rights by the National Rifle Association—are public goods. That is, they are available to all.

- Tangible Benefits - Economic and Political Changes Financial Stability

• Membership dues• Not for profit status

– Donations

Interest Groups and Public Policy

Immigration• Interest groups align along both sides of the debate.

– Proponents of amnesty argue that bringing illegal residents into legal society would make it possible for them to earn fair wages, participate in politics, and pay taxes on their earnings.• National Council of La Raza

– Opponents of immigration reform argue that the previous amnesty program has only encouraged more people to enter the United States illegally and that illegal immigrants take away jobs from the legal resident population.• NumbersUSA

Interest Groups and Public Policy

On March 21, 2010,Reform America staged a huge march on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., calling for immigration reform that includes a secure border strategy, expansion of the number of legal immigration visas, and amnesty for illegal immigrants currently in the United States.Through the use of mass media and advanced

technology, groups can organize protest marches on a much larger scale than ever before.

Focus Questions

• How do interest groups influence economic and social policy?• How do interest groups help or hinder government

responsiveness to all citizens in an equal and fair way?• Are interest groups themselves democratic organizations? Are

their leaders accountable to their members? Explain.• Do interest groups balance each other out, across income

levels, regions, and ethnic backgrounds? Explain and give examples.

• Are interest groups gates, or gateways, to democracy?