TODAY’S TOPIC:INTEREST GROUPS

Unit 3The Linkage Institutions

Interest Groups: What are they?

A private organization that tries to persuade public officials to respond to the shared attitude of its members.

For example: The National Rifle Association tries to get Congressmen to pass laws that allow people to own guns.

What are they like, and what do they do?

Made up of people that share specific goals

They are extremely well organized

The goal: influence public policy

What do interest groups do?

Try to increase representation in government

Try to increase participation

Monitor programs already in place (watchdog)

Build agendasIncrease education about

their subjects

Types of interest groups

BusinessProfessionalPublicGovernmental

How are Interest Groups a Bad Thing?

Remember Federalist #10? Madison warned the factions must be controlled

through checks and balances. There still are negatives, though.

1. Despite this, some groups have gained too much influence despite having very few members.

2. It’s hard to tell who is in an interest group and how many are in it. (Example: The Racine Taxpayer’s Association)

3. Many times, groups push for views that are not supported by the majority of their own members!

4. Some groups have used bribery or blackmail to get what they want from Congress members.

Let’s Talk About Bribery

As Madison feared, interest groups have gained a lot of power. Sometimes even enough power to bribe members of Congress. This is sometimes called “Pay for play.”

When a representative gains profit from a law that he or she helps pass, this is called “graft.”

How are Interest Groups a Good Thing?

They get people interested in current events.

They represent views that people share, not a territory like gov’t officials.

They provide information to the government.

They get people involved in politics.

They act as a watchdog over the government.

They check and balance each other.

Theories About Interest Groups

Pluralist Theory According to this theory, interest groups compete with

one another for their own policies to be passed. The idea is that these groups compete and

counterbalance one another, in the end, benefitting all.

Theories About Interest Groups

Elite Theory Believers in this theory argue that it is only the

wealthy, large interest groups that have the power. Us little guys are left in the cold.

Theories About Interest Groups

Hyperpluralist Theory According to this theory, there are way too many

groups and they are having all of the impact, and the government is weakening.

In other words, the government is completely run by interest groups according to this theory.

Which Theory is the Right One?

The public is split on this issueHalf of the people believe that government is

still controlled by the people.The other half believe that interest groups

are running the show (hyperpluralism).

Interest Group Myth

“Big interest groups have all of the power.” (Elite Theory isn’t always true)

This is NOT true. While there are some powerful large groups, small interest groups have some organizational advantages over large groups.

Advantages of the Small Interest Group

Less people are in the group, so it’s more likely that they’ll agree on how to go about things. More people = more arguments.

Small groups usually have very specific goals, and the more specific, the more focused members will be.

How do Interest Groups get Things Done?

Lobbying (We’ll discuss this in a separate lecture)Electioneering and Donations (You know what these are

already)Litigation (Take things to the court system)Go public (Grassroots campaigning) and try to influence

regular people to contact their legislators to change things.

Let’s Look at Specific Groups

American Medical Association Doctors and other medical professionals belong to this

group. The main way that this group gets things done is by

donating money to candidates.

Specific Groups

The Sierra Club This group is made up of environmentalists. They

fight for clean air laws and tougher restrictions on polluting companies.

They get things changed by participating in grassroots campaigns.

They also use litigation to get things changed.

Specific Groups

The National Rifle Association This group is made up of thousands of members that

want their second amendment right to bear arms protected.

The get things changed primarily through campaign donations and grassroots campaigns.

Specific Groups

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. This group is one of the oldest interest groups, made

up of thousands of members who fight for equal rights for African Americans.

The main way that they’ve changed things is through litigation. The also use grassroots campaigning as well.