CHAPTER 8

Interest Groups: video

© 2018 W. W. Norton & Co., Inc.

Interest Groups: Definition
Interest groups are also referred to as lobbies or special interests.

They are sometimes confused with political action committees (PACs).

• Interest groups create PACs.

• PACs are money-giving arms of interest groups.

Interest groups are different from political parties.

• Interest groups are primarily concerned with policies, whereas parties

organize to win elected office.
The Character of Interest Groups: Pluralism
James Madison’s views

Madison argued good government encourages multitudes of interests (factions).

• This multitude of interests prevents any one single interest from dominating the
others.

Madison’s principle is known as pluralism.

• The theory that all interests are, and should be, free to compete for influence in
government.

• This results in compromise and moderation.

Interest Groups: Types of Groups
Types of interest groups with examples:

Corporate groups: AT&T, Boeing

Labor groups: AFL-CIO, AFSCME, Teamsters

Professional associations: American Bar Association

Citizen or public interest groups: Common Cause

Ideological groups: Christian Coalition

Public-sector groups: National League of Cities

Interest Groups: Representation
Unequal representation

No organized groups for the homeless or the poor

Critics of pluralism: upper-class bias

• “The flaw in the pluralist heaven is that the heavenly chorus sings with an
upper-class accent.”

• People more likely to join a group if their income is higher, they have a
higher level of education, or they work in a professional occupation
The Free-Rider Dilemma
Group benefits and free riders

Some benefits of a group’s success are available to everyone.

• These benefits are known as collective goods.

Collective goods present some problems for groups.

• Strong temptation for people to be free riders

• Example: Polluted air

• Groups that help defeat pollution benefit everyone, whether they join these groups or not.
Why Join Groups?: Video
How do groups overcome the free-rider problem?

Groups offer “selective benefits.”

• Selective benefits are available to group members only.

Different types:

• Informational benefits: newsletters, programs, conferences

• Material benefits: special goods, services, money

• Solidary benefits: friendship, networking, socializing

• Purposive benefits: pursuing goals, serving a cause

Free-Rider Dilemma: Selective Benefits of Interest Group Membership
TABLE 8.1
Selective Benefits of Interest Group Membership

CATEGORY BENEFITS

Informational benefits Conferences

Professional contacts
Training programs
Publications
Coordination among organizations
Research
Legal help
Professional codes
Collective bargaining

Material benefits Travel packages

Insurance
Discounts on consumer goods

Solidary benefits Friendship

Networking opportunities

Purposive benefits Advocacy

Representation before government
Participation in public affairs

SOURCE: Adapted from Jack Walker, Jr., Mobilizing Interest Groups in America: Patrons,
Professions, and Social Movements (Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1991), 86.
The Proliferation of Groups
The number of interest groups has grown exponentially over the last few decades.

Primary explanations:

• Expansion of government

• As government has become more active, new groups have been founded to defend or fight
changes.

• Growth of public interest groups

• The “New Politics” movement of the 1960s and 1970s was shaped by the protests of the
era.
• It formed groups to affect politics.
How Interest Groups Influence Congress: Lobbying
Interest groups try to shape policy through lobbying: video.

Lobbying: a strategy by a group to influence the policy process through the

persuasion of public officials

• Encompasses a wide range of methods

• face-to-face contact with legislators or top staff

• information to legislators on key legislation

• testimony before congressional committees

Regulating Lobbying: Video
Lobbying activities regulated by federal law

• The 2007 reform prohibited lobbyists from paying for most meals, trips,
parties, and gifts for members of Congress.

• However, within a few weeks, lobbyists had learned how to circumvent

many of the new rules.

• Citizens United v. F.E.C.

Using the Courts
Litigation by interest groups

• Interest groups use the courts to affect public policy in three ways:

• Bringing suit directly on behalf of the group itself

• Financing suits brought by individuals
• Filing amicus curiae “friend of the court”) briefs to an existing court case

• Such litigation is regularly used by groups such as the NAACP.

Mobilizing Public Opinion
Going public

Interest groups attempt to gain mass public awareness and support on a given
issue.

• Institutional advertising: advertising designed to create a positive image

of the organization

• Organizing protests and demonstrations

• Grassroots mobilization: getting members to petition Congress directly in

support of the group’s position
Electoral Politics
Interest groups try to get legislators elected who agree with them on their issues of concern.

Political action committees (PACs)

• Provide financial support to candidates and parties

• Federal law limits contributions received and contributions made to federal candidates
($5,000 per election).

Super PACs

• Can raise unlimited amounts of money

• Cannot make direct campaign contributions or coordinate with candidates; can only make
independent expenditures
Electoral Politics: Activism and Initiatives
Interest groups try to influence elections in other ways.

Ballot initiatives

• They allow proposed laws to be placed on the general-election ballot and

submitted directly to voters.

• Interest groups sponsor ballot initiatives to circumvent legislative

opposition.