Interest Group Report 3

Interest Group Report 3

Note: Before completing this report, Read Federalist Paper 10 located in the appendix of your text.

Prepare the Report

Prepare a specific, well-developed report which includes the italicized words below as internal section headings in the report. Underneath each heading, provide the requested information.

Group Identity

What is the full name of the group? What is their URL (website address)?

Support

To begin with, how supportive were you of this group's goals? Are you now more or less supportive of their goals? Explain. After examining your group for the semester what about the group stands out to you the most? What is the primary thing you will take away from studying this group this semester? Explain.

Comparison

Select another group from the list of groups and visit its website. How do they compare? Are they different types of groups or similar in nature? Did the new group’s website grab you? Do you find it interesting? What are the strengths and weaknesses of each site? Is one better at getting the point across?

Evaluation

What is the "free rider" problem? Is your group affected by this problem? If not, why not? If so, how? What is the group doing to combat this problem? What are some additional ways that your group could deal with the free rider problem?

Analysis

Why did Madison warn against factions and was he correct? What would Madison say about the current political landscape and the interest groups of today? Does his view of interests or “factions” change your opinion of your group?

After reading the chapter on interest groups in the text and monitoring and evaluating your interest group for a semester, what are your impressions of interest groups in general? What role do they play in the American political system? Should they or should they not play this role?

web site help:

House of Representatives

Library of Congress

Senate

WashingtonPost.com

White House

Federal Register: Electoral College

Electoral College: Historical Perspective