Chapter 11 Study Guide

Interest Group An organization of people with similar political interests in a group attempting to enter
the political process through multiple points to achieve those goals.
Congress

IRON
TRIANGLE

Congressional support via lobbying

Bureaucracy

Interest Group
Low regulation, special favors
Difference Parties
between
Parties
and
Interest
Groups
Goals
Parties try to win elections
to put candidates in office.
They also try to run the
country how they see fit.
What
Political Generalists
They focus on government
in general

Interest Groups

Interest Groups try to win favorable legislation through

influencing Congress. They do so through funding,
crowdsourcing (promising votes), and advertising.
Funding: Donations, monetary contributions, PACS, 527s
Political Specialists
They focus on one aspect of government in an attempt to
change laws to favor them.

Types of Groups
Potential Group
People with same interest
Actual Group
People with the same interest and are in the group
Free Riders
People who are not in the actual group yet they benefit off their work
Collective Good
Something valuable that cannot be withheld from members (clean air, wages, etc.)
Olsons law of large groups
Large groups are too disorganized and ineffective
Selective Benefits to overcome the free-rider problem
Single Issue Groups
Dislike compromise, narrow interest, and attracts new people
They are interest groups, but interest groups are not single issue groups. (I feel like I beat
a dead horse with that note.)
Labor Groups
Groups forming based on labor (work) issues
AFL-CIO, UAW, NEA, etc
They push for better working conditions
Union shops
Requires employees to join a union (This is illegal)
Right-to-work laws
Makes union shops illegal, allows employees to work without joining a
union
Business Groups
Groups fight against regulations
Theyre the stereotypical lobbyist and PACs people
Environmental
They love trees
They fight for environmental conservation, cleaner energy resources, and etc.
Equality Interests
Minorities forming groups to find benefits (or be on the same level as whites)
NAACP, NOW
Public Interest Lobbies
Public interest groups look for a collective good that does not benefit specifically
themselves
Ralph Nader formed one against General Motors <- was on quiz
Small groups are easier to organize
Wealthy groups have more influence
Groups with intensity have the motivation to pursue goals
May use emotional issue to gain an advantage
Small + Wealthy = Success
More groups have appeared recently as government expanded
Groups makes things hard for government to reduce their size as another group end up opposing it

Tactics used by groups

Electioneering
Direct involvement through funds, advertisements, and getting members to work
PACs
They are a direct form of funding from interest groups to political parties
They help mitigate the cost of campaigns
Lobbying
Someone influencing a congressman on behalf of another
How Lobbyists are useful for congressmen:
Sources of information (Politicians are generalized, lobbyists are specialized)
*Politician doesnt know about food industry. Lobbyist informs*
Political strategy for legislation
Get lobbyists to influence other congressman to pass a law
Re-election campaign
Self-explanatory
Ideas and innovation
Give the congressman an awesome idea
Litigation
Use the courts to rule in their favor over a certain subject
Amicus Curiae
People sending legal briefs to courts to provide more information and point of
views to benefit a side
Class Action Lawsuits
Allows a group of people to represent a population in a lawsuit
*I file a class action lawsuit against the food industry for lacing Ebola in
our food, I win; everyone benefits*
Public Appeal
Win public favor to seem like a legitimate interest group (seem like they are representing
the people)
Mass advertising, public relation efforts (pay for recovery)
No group wants to be known as corrupt

Theories
Aspects of

Pluralism
Politics is a competition
amongst groups
Groups provide a key link
from the people to the
government.
Groups compete with each
other
No one group will be
dominant as the rest counter
balance each other
Groups weak in one
resource will use another

Hyperpluralism
Contending groups are too
strong and the government
is too subservient to be
effective
Groups are too powerful
Interest group liberalism
(government trying to
appease all groups) is
accentuated by
subgovernments
Attempts to appease all
groups result in a confusing
and contradictory policy

Elitism
Politics is divided amongst
class lines and only the
wealthy upper-class few hold
any power
Most groups are worthless
because groups are unequal
in power
Largest groups hold most
power
Power of few is guaranteed
by the system
Smaller groups may win
small victories, but the
largest will always win big
decisions
Believes that PACs are a
sign of corruption of
American politics

Groups
Believes that lobbying
Believes that major interest
and
resulted in better democracy. groups are making it
Democracy (How James Madison
difficult for things to be
intended our society to
done
work)
Subgovernments;
A network that deals with a specific policy area. Also called iron triangles. Refer to the picture.