Download Interest Groups

Interest Groups
Interest Groups
“in no country of the world has the principle of
association been more successfully used or applied to
a greater multitude of objectives than in America.”
•
Interest Groups
– An organized group of individuals sharing common objectives who actively
attempt to influence policy makers
– Often spawned by social movements
•
Lobbyists
– An organization or individual who attempts to influence legislation and the
administrative decisions of government
•
Hyperpluralism
– The ability of interest groups to mandate policy or to defeat policies needed by
the nation
• Detriment to effective government?
Federalist #10
blah, blha, blah……blah, blha, blah……blah, blha, blah……
……blah, blha, blah……blah, blha, blah ……
blah, blha, blah……blah, blha, blah……blah, blha, blah……
……blah, blha, blah……blah, blha, blah ……
Why so many interest groups?
• 1st Amendment - guarantees facilitate group formation
– Right
• Assemble
• Petition to redress grievances
• Groups amplify individual opinions
• Many pressure points in our federal system
• Diversity gives rise to many views
– Ethnic, religious, economic, etc.
• Social changes, economic pressures and technological
developments disturb the status quo, leading to group formation
– Examples: industrialization, urbanization, civil rights movement
Why join an interest group?
• Latent interests – public-policy interests that are
not recognized or addressed by a group at a
particular time
• Many people wait for “collective good” to be
addressed rather than join a group – “free rider
problem”
– When benefits can be obtained without joining the
group
• People generally join when they perceive that
their effort will make a difference
– Small groups seeking benefits for a specific group are
more successful in recruiting members
Why join an interest group?
• Incentives
– Solidary
• Companionship, sense of belonging, pleasure of
associating
– Ex. National Audubon Society
– Material
• Discounts and opportunities
– Ex. AARP
– Purposive
• Satisfaction of taking action with a group an
individual agrees with
– Ex. NRA
Fortune Power 25
Rank
2005
Organization
Website
1
National Rifle Association
www.nra.org
2
AARP
www.aarp.org
3
National Federation of Independent
Business
www.nfibonline.com
4
American Israel Public Affairs Committee
www.alpac.org
5
Association of Trial Lawyers of America
www.atla.org
6
American Federation of Labor-Congress of
Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO)
www.aflcio.org
7
Chamber of Commerce of the U.S.A.
www.uschamber.org
8
National Beer Wholesalers Association
www.nwba.org
9
National Association of Realtors
www.realtor.com
10
National Association of Manufacturers
www.nam.org
•
http://quizlet.com/4157274/the-power-25-interest-groups-flash-cards/
•
http://www.congresslink.org/print_lp_specialinterestgroups_fortune.htm (2001)
Types of Interest Groups
•
Economic*
– Business
• Umbrella groups represent types of business or industry
–
–
–
–
Ex. US Chamber of Commerce
Ex. National Association of Manufacturers
Ex. American Pet Products Manufacturers
Ex. Better Business Bureau
– Agricultural
• Small by population but very influential
– Ex. American Farm Bureau Federation
– Ex. The Peanut Growers Group
– Ex. American Farmland Trust
– Labor
• About 12% of the workforce belong to a union
– Ex. AFL-CIO
– Public-Employee
• more public-sector members than private-sector members
– Ex. NEA
– Professional
• Many different groups represented
– Ex. American Bar Association
– Ex. American Medical Association
*largest category of interest groups
Types of Interest Groups
• Environmental
– National Audubon Society
– Sierra Club
– National Wildlife Federation
– Environmental Defense Fund
– Greenpeace
Types of Interest Groups
• Public-Interest
– Many different “publics” in a country of 300m+
• “Nader Organizations”
– “Nader’s Raiders”
•
•
•
•
ACLU
League of Women Voters
Common Cause
MoveOn.org
Types of Interest Groups
• Other
– Single issue groups
• More focused
• Members more passionate
• Less complex goals
– Ex. NRA, MADD
• Foreign
– Over 300 foreign entities represented by
lobbyists
• Ex. Coalition to Save Darfur
Contemporary Interest Groups
What Do Interest Groups Do?
• Inform
• Lobby
• Campaign Activities
– Political Action Committees
– Issue Advocacy
Keys to an Effective Interest Group
• Size and Resources
• Leadership
• Cohesiveness
Interest Group Strategies
• Direct
–
–
–
–
Lobbying
Ratings
Building alliances
Campaign assistance
• Indirect
–
–
–
–
Generating public pressure
Climate control
Using constituents as lobbyists
Unconventional
• Marches, boycotts
Techniques for Exerting Influence
•
Publicity, Mass Media, and the Internet
–
–
•
Mass Mailing/E-Mailing
–
•
endorsements
New Political Parties
–
•
Through PACs/Super Pacs or bundling – collecting individual donations and presenting
together
Candidate Support/Opposition
–
•
Organized to raise awareness
Astroturf lobbying
Contributions to Campaigns
–
•
Initiate lawsuits
Amicus curiae briefs
Protest
–
–
•
Government agencies publish proposed regulations in the Federal Register and invite
responses from all interested person before rules are finalized
Litigation
–
–
•
Increases reach and effectiveness of interest groups
Direct Contact with Government
–
•
Influences votes during elections
Motivates constituents to contact representatives
Often just to publicize a cause
Cooperative Lobbying
–
Like-minded groups form cooperative groups
Who are lobbyists?
•
Often former public servants
– Revolving Door
• Employment cycle in which individuals who work for government agencies that regulate
interests eventually end up working for interest groups or businesses with the same
policy concern
– 33% of those who lost seats in Congress following 2010 election employed by lobbying firms
– 20% employed by lobbying clients
– 2007 Honest Leadership and Open Government Act
• More disclosure of employment history for lobbyists
• Stricter limits on lobbying activities
• Longer cooling off period
– Many participate in issue networks
• Relationships among interest groups, congressional committees and subcommittees,
and the government agencies that share a common policy concern
– Specialized knowledge often allows them to wield tremendous influence
– Demographics: 30,000 registered in Washington
• 1/3 women
• 200 black
• 60 Hispanic
Lobbying?
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2011/dec/16/newt-gingrich/newtgingrich-said-he-never-lobbied-freddie-mac-un/
What Do Lobbyists Do?
• Provide money for reelection campaigns
– Also provide volunteers for campaign activities
• Sometimes just their failure to support opposition is enough
to increase reelection odds
• Provide information
– Political information
• Ex. Who supports/opposes legislation
– Substantive information
• Ex. Impact of proposed laws, technical assistance drafting
bills, identifying persons to testify at hearings
American Legislative Exchange Council – ALEC
http://www.alec.org/
http://www.brookings.edu/research/articles/2013/12/06
-american-legislative-exchange-council-jackman
Regulating Lobbyists
• 1946 – Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act
– Provided for disclosure
– Defined lobbyist
• Any person or organization that received money to be used
principally to influence legislation before Congress
– Lobbyists had to register their clients and purpose of
their efforts
• Disclosed quarterly
– Limited effectiveness
• Only some lobbyists registered (only full-time)
– Only if they were directly influencing Congress
• Not required to register if lobbying the executive branch,
federal agencies, courts, congressional staff, etc.
Regulating Lobbyists
• 1995 – Lobbying Disclosure Act
– Redefined lobbyist
• Anyone who spends at least 20% of their time lobbying
members of Congress or staff, or executive branch officials
– Must register with House or Senate within 45 days of
first contact or being hired
– Reports (now quarterly) disclosing
• General nature of lobbying, specific issues and bills,
estimated cost of campaign, list of branches contacted (not
names)
– Representatives of US owned subsidiaries of foreignowned entities must register
– Grassroots and tax-exempt organizations exempted
Regulating Lobbyists
• 2007 – Honest Leadership and Open
Government Act
– Tightened reporting rules
– Longer waiting period
• 2 years for Senators
• 1 year for Rep.
– Limited lobbying spouses
– Only trips pre-approved by Ethics Committee
Recent
Lobbying
Scandal:
Jack Abramoff
© 2006 Time, Inc./Getty Images. Reprinted by permission.
Interest Groups and
Representative Democracy
• Interest Groups: Elitist or Pluralist?
– The existence of interest groups would appear to be
an argument in favor of pluralism. However, interest
groups are often led by upper-class individuals, which
argues for elite theory.
• Interest Group Influence
– Even the most powerful groups do not always
succeed in their demands.
– The most successful groups focus on single issue
Interest Groups and the
Policy Process
http://www.madd.org
Web Links
• The Center for Public Integrity
• Opensecrets.org-Money in Politics Data
• Common Cause—Holding Power
Accountable
• Federal Election Commission
• Public Citizen