Unit 7: Public Opinion, Political Parties, and Participation

PO 101: Intro to Political Science

Administrative Matters…

Unit 8 (Runs today through July 12)– Discussion Board (2 THREADS!!!)

– KEYNES/HAYEK and INTERVENTION

– Seminar 2 Tomorrow Night – UNIT 6 AND 7 QUIZZES – TONIGHT AND FRIDAY!!!

UNIT 8 QUIZ - 30 QUESTIONS – 60 MINUTES

Chapter 16

Questions from you folks?

Remember This…The Political Process

Public Opinion

Why Aggregate Interests?

Individual Preferences

Aggregation of Interests

Political Decision Makers

Political Parties Interest Groups

Interest Groups

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An interest group is a group of people that organizes to be heard and influence government programs and policies.

What are Interest Groups?

Individual

INTEREST GROUPSIndividual

Individual

Political Outcomes

Classification based on the “GOALS” that the group pursues…Do they pursue ends for EVERYONE or MEMBERS ONLY?

TYPES OF INTERST GROUPS - Public vs. Private

PRIVATE PUBLIC

Business and Agricultural – Economic Sectors, Large Corporations, Chamber of Commerce, Farm Bureau Federation…

Labor – AFL-CIO, United Mine Workers, National Education Association, Teamsters…

Professional Associations – AMA, ADA, ABA, American Bankers Association…

Public Interests – Sierra Club, Common Cause, ACLU, NRA

Ideological Groups – People for American Way, Christian Coalition, Tea Party Patriots

What Makes an Interest Group Powerful?

1. Resources, Resources, Resources2. Size

3. Leadership

4. Cohesiveness

The most effective groups like the NRA and AARP have all of these.

Power 25

Interest Groups have very different strategies from Political Parties:

ACCESS – Ability to have face to face contact with a decision maker.

What does it take to gain ACCESS?

Lobbying, Lawsuits, Amicus Curae Briefs, Grassroots (Astro Turf)

Interest Group Strategies

Parties are quite different from Interest Groups!

GOALS are the SAME!

Strategies and Scope DIFFERENT

Parties are:

Inclusive

Broad

Political Parties

Parties and Democracy

Many political scientists believe that parties are essential to democracy, serving as the main instrument of popular sovereignty and majority rule. What parties DO makes our democracy work.

• Keeping officials responsive – Compete in Elections

• Including a broad range of groups – Winning Majorities

• Stimulating political interest – Mobilizing Voters

• Ensuring accountability – Knowing who is Responsible

• Make Sense of Complexity in Politics – Party Labels

• Making government work – Encourage Cooperation

The Case for Strong Parties

• Partisanship is not America’s political problem; instead, our parties are not strong enough to function effectively.

• STRONG parties promote CHOICE!

• Parties are the principle organizations that…– 1. Recruit Candidates for public office (Choice)– 2. Organize and Run Competitive Elections (Choice)– 3. Present Alternative Policies to the Electorate (Choice)– 4. Accept Responsibility for Operating the Gov.– 5. Act as the Organized Opposition to the Party in Power (Choice)

Simplifying Choices for Voters

Voters are pretty Dumb! (Rationally Ignorant)

Clear and Consistent policy positions taken by parties offer valuable information about candidates and cues on policy issues.

Once voters know which party usually represents their interests, the party label can be a very useful shortcut.

Political Parties