POLITICAL SCIENCE DISCUSSION INITIAL POST
INTEREST GROUPS
Collective Action, Power, and Representation
Chapter 11
Voluntary Associations in the American Political System
The Constitution of the United States ensures the ability of Americans to form voluntary associations and make their wishes known
First Amendment – “Congress shall make no law…abridging the freedom of speech...or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
Collective Action in American Politics
Groups of people act on behalf of their interests and engage in efforts to be heard and to get the policies they prefer adopted
E.g., Wall Street bailout
James Madison and Federalist No. 10
Can factions really be contained?
Theories of interest group formulation focus on the challenges of faction
Pluralism
A theory of governmental influence that views the distribution of political power among many competing groups as serving to keep any one of them in check
Elitist theory
A theory of governmental influence that focuses on the advantages that certain interests have in the political process based on the unequal distribution of economic and political power
ORGANIZED INTERESTS: WHO ARE THEY?
An interest group is a formally organized association that seeks to influence public policy
Interest groups include diverse organizations such as corporations, labor unions, and civil rights groups that reflect the spectrum of interests that make up our pluralistic society
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Types of Interest Groups
Economic Interest Groups:
Advocate on behalf of the economic interests of their members. Account for the largest number and largest amount of campaign donations of all categories of interest groups
Industry Groups
Labor Groups
Public interest Groups:
Act on behalf of the collective interests of a broad group of individuals, many of whom may not be members or contributors to the organization
Government Interest Groups:
Organizations that act to secure the interests of local, state or foreign governments in the political process
Challenges Facing Interest Groups and Social Movements
Political scientists have offered a variety of explanations for why Americans choose to join or not join voluntary associations in political life
When acting collectively, there are rational incentives for individuals to allow others to undertake collective efforts
Collective Action
Collective action
Political action that occurs when individuals contribute their energy, time, or money to a larger group goal
Theories of interest group formulation also explore the challenges of collective action
Collective good
Also called a public good; some benefit or desirable outcome that individuals can enjoy or profit from even if they do not help achieve or secure it
Getting individuals to contribute their energy, time or money to the greater good of the group is a challenge because people want to instinctively work in their own best interest
We call this a collective action problem
The Free Rider Problem
Collective (or public) goods provide some benefit or desirable outcome that individuals can enjoy or profit from even if they do not help to achieve it
Example: we all have equal access to most public roads and highways even if we don’t contribute equally to their cost
When individuals enjoy collective goods without helping to secure them, they are called free riders
Free riders pose a threat to the formation and success of groups because they do not contribute to the outcome or public good the group produces but still get the benefit
For example, we all benefit from the public good that national defense (the military) provides us but most of us do not enlist in the military and many of us do not pay federal income tax which pays for the military
That group that does not directly contribute to the public good of military defense would be known as free riders
Strategies To Avoid the Free Rider Problem
Selective Benefits – Goods that are made available only to those who join or contribute to a group.
Example: The AAA provides roadside service but ONLY to those members who contribute for it as a party of their membership dues
Material Benefits – Tangible benefits made available to members and contributors of a group.
Social Benefits – Rewards in the form of new connections or access to networks that members of a group receive through their participation in the group.
Purposive Benefits – Rewards in the form of satisfaction from working with others to achieve a common goal or purpose.
Interest Groups and Their Tactics
Interest groups may form to advocate for a variety of members’ goals, including:
those focused on economic and business,
public issues, and
the interest of government units
Interest groups lobby all levels of government
Interest Groups and Influence
When lobbying the federal government, interest groups act to influence the actions of legislative, executive, and judicial branches using a variety of strategies.
Most common is direct lobbying where professional lobbyists and groups make contact with those in governmental power in order to affect the outcome of legislation of policy.
Interest groups also act to influence campaigns and elections through the use of political contributions to specific candidates.
Interest groups can also fund challengers in a race to attempt to remove a candidate they feel has not responded to their policy agenda.
Lobbying (Inside Tactics)
“Inside” interest groups lobby to influence policymaking
Lobbying
Interacting with government officials in order to advance a group’s goals in the area of public policy
Lobbying is increasingly the province of permanent and salaried professionals
Former government workers are well suited to be lobbyists.
They have specialized knowledge in a policy area.
They have a thorough knowledge of the political process.
Former lawmakers and staffers often join firms that lobbied them when they were in government.
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Interest Groups and Conflicts of Interest
Close ties between interest groups and governments have and continue to worry political scientists and observers.
Agency Capture: When agencies tasked with regulating businesses, industries or other interest groups are populated by individuals with close ties to the very firms that they are supposed to regulate.
Iron Triangle: The coordinated (and mutually beneficial) activities of interest groups, Congress and the bureaucracy to achieve shared policy goals, sometimes against the general interests of society or specific groups within it.
Revolving Door Phenomenon: The movement of individuals between government and lobbying positions.
The Iron Triangle
Challenges of Regulation
Lobbying activities are regulated
Attempts have been made to regulate activities of lobbyists, but it is not a simple task
Constitution protects fundamental rights of interest groups
Incentives for members of Congress not to overregulate
OTHER TACTICS
Some interest groups initiate litigation as a tactic to advance their goals.
Litigation is expensive, so groups with abundant financial resources are most likely to undertake it.
Most of the recent important Supreme Court cases have been test cases brought by organized interests in an attempt to set new precedents.
Interest groups often file amicus curiae briefs.
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Outside Tactics
Grassroots lobbying and political protestors act from “outside” to influence policy
Outside (or grassroots) lobbying
A type of lobbying that focuses on reaching constituents and mobilizing them to pressure their representatives rather than pressuring the representative directly
Astroturf lobbying
When a group presents the façade of grassroots support that does not exist on its own or would not exist without the “purchase” of support by the lobbying firm itself
INTEREST GROUPS AND CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT TODAY
Voluntary associations of earlier eras emphasized local organization and citizen training; interest group politics today is often run by professionals in Washington.
These changes in the patterns of interest group activities may be turning citizens from “participants” to “mailing lists”
Better educated, elite, and wealthier Americans are more active in interest group politics
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Social Movements Employ Different Tactics from Interest Groups to Make Change and to Educate
Organized groups may form grassroots coalitions to expand access to resources and information, increase their visibility, and enlarge the scope of their influence
Protests: a form of grassroots activity
A public demonstration designed to call attention to the need for action or change
Protest usually accompanies issues that are highly charged emotionally.
Protest is a common tactic among those with few resources and little direct access to power
Civil disobedience
An intentional breaking of law for the purpose of calling attention to an injustice
Social Movements Employ Different Tactics from Interest Groups to Make Change and to Educate
The success of social movements is difficult to measure
What does it mean for a social movement to succeed?
Success or failure for social movements may be best determined by the fact that the movement came together at all
A key contribution of social movements: changing the conversation in effort to influence the political agenda