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Chapter 9
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The Interest-Group SystemInterest group: any organization that seeks to influence
public policyDiffers from a political party in that parties address a broad
range of issuesFederalism and separation of powers fuels interest groupsTocqueville: “a nation of joiners”
© 2015 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 9-3
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The Interest-Group SystemEconomic groups
Business groupsLabor groupsFarm groupsProfessional groups
Material incentives
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The Interest-Group SystemCitizens’ groups
Purposive incentivesGroups based on social groupingsSingle-issue groupsIdeological groupsCitizens’ groups difficult to classify
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The Interest-Group SystemThe organizational edge: economic groups versus
citizens’ groupsUnequal access to resources
Private goods versus collective goodsThe free rider problem
The advantages and disadvantages of sizeThe size factor: business groups smaller and more
efficientAARP and strength in numbers
© 2015 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 9-8
© 2015 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 9-9
Inside Lobbying: Seeking Influence through Official Contacts
Acquiring access to officials“Revolving door”Supply officials with information—policy supportLobbyists must understand both the issues and the processMoney is key element—amount contributed is staggering
© 2015 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 9-10
© 2015 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 9-11
Inside Lobbying: Seeking Influence through Official Contacts
Acquiring access to officialsLobbying CongressLobbying the executive branchLobbying the courts
© 2015 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 9-12
© 2015 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 9-13
Inside Lobbying: Seeking Influence through Official Contacts
Webs of influence: groups in the policy processIron triangles
Bureaucrats, lobbyists, legislatorsSmall, informal, stable
Issue networksOfficials, lobbyists, and policy specialists TemporaryMore frequent than iron triangles
© 2015 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 9-14
© 2015 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 9-15
Outside Lobbying: Seeking Influence through Public Pressure
Constituency advocacy: grassroots lobbyingSpecialty of the AARPMembers of the public try to get lawmakers’ attention
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© 2015 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 9-17
Outside Lobbying: Seeking Influence through Public Pressure
Electoral action: votes and moneyPACs (political action committees)
Funneling a group’s election contributionsPAC contributions limited to $10,000 per candidate for
each election cycleMost PACs associated with businessGive much more heavily to incumbents
© 2015 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 9-18
© 2015 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 9-19
Outside Lobbying: Seeking Influence through Public Pressure
Electoral action: votes and moneySuper PACs or independent-expenditure-only-committees
(IEOCs)Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010)Not allowed to contribute/coordinate directly to the party
or candidateUnrestricted fundraising and spendingDisclosure of donors not required
© 2015 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 9-20
The Group System: Indispensable but Biased in Favor of Economic Groups
The contribution of groups to self-government: pluralismServing the “public interest”?
Flaws in pluralismInterest-group liberalismNot equally representative
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The Group System: Indispensable but Biased in Favor of Economic Groups
A Madisonian dilemmaA free society must allow pursuit of self-interest.Checks and balances work to protect rights, but also
exaggerate the influence of minorities.Groups can wield too much influence over individual
policies or agencies.