INTEREST GROUPS

SHANG E. HASOGANG UNIVERSITY

POL 3162Introduction to American

Politics

From Previous Class….

Hard Money funds that can be used to help elect or defeat a

specific candidate donations to the primaries and general elections count

separately. Has limits (by the FEC)

Soft Money Contributions that are not used to help a specific

candidate (contributions that can be used for voter mobilization or to promote a policy proposal or point of view as long as these efforts are not tied to supporting or opposing a particular candidate)

No limits

From Previous Class…

A 527 organization can raise unlimited soft money from individuals or corporations for voter mobilization and for issue advocacy, but these expenditures must not be coordinated with a candidate or a party (which means that 527s cannot advocate the election or defeat of a particular candidate or political party).

A 501(c)(4) organization can raise unlimited soft money for voter mobilization and for issue advocacy, and does not have to disclose contributors. But 501(c)(4)s cannot coordinate efforts with candidates or parties. Plus, at least half of their activities must be non-political.

Political action committee (PAC) is an interest group or a division of an interest group that can raise money to contribute to campaigns or to spend on ads in support of candidates. The amount of a PAC can receive from each of its donors and the amount it can spend on federal campaigns are strictly limited.

“Super” PACs can spend unlimited amounts on voter mobilization and issue advocacy (even from corporations and labor unions) and can support or oppose specific candidates. But they cannot make contributions to candidates or coordinate efforts with candidates or parties.

Overview

APT, Chapter 9

What roles do interest groups play in a democracy?

The logic of collective actionWhat kind of strategies do interest groups

implement?How much power do interest group have in

the US politics? (a lot…..??)

The Interest Group Universe

Interest groups – organizations of people who share common political beliefs and aim to influence policy by electioneering and lobbying

Lobbying – efforts to influence public policy through contact with public officials on behalf of an interest group

The Interest Group Universe: National Rifle Association

More than 4 million individuals belong to the National Rifle Association (NRA), one of the most powerful interest groups in America.

At their national convention (shown here), members can attend a gun show and meetings where they debate the group’s goals and select leaders.

Types of Interest

Groups

Economic group – a type of interest group that seeks public policies that will provide monetary benefits to its members

Citizen group – a type of interest group that seeks changes in spending, regulations, or government programs concerning a wide range of policies (also known as a public interest group)

Single-issue group – a type of interest group that has a narrowly focused goal and seeks change on a single topic, government program, or piece of legislation

Types of Economic Groups

Trade Associations They are composed of companies in the same industry or

business. E.g., the National Beer Wholesalers Association.

Labor unions lobby for exclusive use of union labor on government contracts

and strongly support the Employee Free Choice Act, which would make it easier to start unions in the private sector.

Professional Organizations They are composed of individuals who join in their capacity as

professionals (examples include doctors, lawyers, and teachers).

E.g., the American Medical Association.

Organizational Structures

Organizational Structures

Two different types of groups are centralized groups and confederations

Large groups like the AARP and the NRA are centralized• Headquarters typically in Washington, D.C.• Members and offices throughout the country• Lobbying decisions made by group leaders in

headquarters• These are efficient, but it’s tougher to know what

members on the ground want. Independent and local organizations are often structured

as confederations. An example is the National Automobile Dealers

Association (NADA). Often, local groups from across the nation band together

to form a larger group. Easy to read the local members, but hard to band

together and move in one direction toward a singular goal

Staff

There are generally two types of staff that make up an interest group:

1.Experts on policy areas2.People who know people

Revolving Door – a term describing movement of individuals from government positions to jobs with interest groups or lobbying firms and vice versa.

• Over 40 percent of representatives leaving the House or Senate from 1998 to 2005 became lobbyists after leaving.

K Street – a shorthand term for referring to Washington lobbyists as a group. It was derived from the name of the street in Washington, D.C., where lobbying firms were once concentrated.

Membership (Mass. vs Peak Organizations)

Mass associations – interest groups that have a large number of dues-paying individuals as members

Peak associations – interest groups whose members are businesses or other organizations rather than individuals

Mass associations are similar to AARP. For $16 in annual dues, members get:

• Discounts on car rentals, insurance, hotels etc.• Help doing their taxes • Legislative program (This is arguably the most

powerful lobby in Washington and its own members barely know about it!)

Peak associations are like BIPAC (Business-Industry Political Action Committee):

• This is an association of several hundreds of businesses and trade associations that aims to elect “pro-business individuals” to Congress.

• An individual cannot directly join a peak association.

The Logic of Collective Action

Free riding – the practice of relying on others to contribute to a collective effort—while failing to participate on one’s own behalf—and still benefiting from the group’s success An example that students have often experienced is group work

with a common grade. If everyone gets the same grade, then the grade is a public good but individual members have an incentive to slack off (free ride) and hope that a more motivated student picks up the slack and earns them all an A.

Because governmental changes to policies affect everyone, whether they worked for the change or not, it is hard to motivate people to work for the change.

Overcoming Collective Action Problems

Solitary benefits – satisfaction derived from the experience of working with like-minded people

Purposive benefits – satisfaction derived from the experience of working toward a desired policy goal

Coercion – a method of eliminating free riding by potential group members by requiring participation, as in many labor unions

Selective incentives – benefits that are available only to those who participate, such as member services offered by interest groups

Studies show that people join interest groups either out of a sense of internal obligation or duty, external coercion, or selective incentives.

Different Strategies for Different Groups

Inside strategies – tactics used by interest groups within Washington, D.C., to achieve their policy goals

Direct lobbying – attempts by interest group staff to influence policy by speaking with elected officials or bureaucrats

Outside strategies – tactics used by interest groups outside Washington, D.C., to achieve their policy goals

How Much Power Do Interest Groups Have?

The theory of bureaucratic capture says that regulators become “captured” (persuaded by or beholden to) the industries they are supposed to regulate.

This idea would dictate that interest groups always have the upper hand, because they have concentrated wealth at stake, greater expertise on the issue at hand, and are organized to marshal resources (people/money/expertise) more quickly than the regulators or the people.

But….

The evidence does not support these fears. Interest groups are neither omnipotent nor impotent; they get some of what they want, some of the time.

It is important to recall four truths about interest groups:

1) They tend to lobby friends more than enemies and undecideds, and they will moderate their demands in the face of resistance.

2) Complaints about the power of interest groups often come from the losers of a political conflict.

3) Many interest groups will claim that they affected policy even if their lobbying had no discernible effect on the outcome.

4) Interest groups are almost always active on both sides of a conflict so if one or more groups are “successful” than there are likely one or more “unsuccessful” groups on the other side.

Growth in Federal Spending and in Lobbying: Total Spending

Top 20 Spenders on Lobbying, 1998–2012

Interest Groups: Electioneering and Types of Organizations

Spending on Lobbying

What Determines When Interest Groups Succeed?

Success of Interest Groups

Amount of Public Attention Interest groups are more likely to succeed when their

request attracts little public attention The National Turkey Federation: In 2002, they persuaded

federal bureaucrats to change federally funded school lunch program regulations in a way that increased the allowable amount of turkey in various meals.

Level of Conflict Disagreements between interest groups

The National Turkey Federation vs. The American Pork Producers/the American Cattlemen

Differences between what a particular interest group wants and the preferences of the general public

What about more complicated/conflictual issues?

Gun control There was no consensus among members of Congress,

interest groups, or the American public about which policy changes were needed

Under these conditions, stalemate is the likely result If policy change occurs at all, it is likely to reflect a

complex process of bargaining and compromise, with no groups getting exactly what they want

Generally speaking, no group is likely to get everything it wants