 |
 |
In Federalist #10, Madison points out that "liberty is to faction what air is to fire". |
| 1) What Are the Characteristics of Interest Groups? |
|
|
Interest Groups are organized groups of people that make policy-related appeals to government. |
|
|
Unlike parties, groups focus more on policies than on personnel of government. |
|
A) Interest Groups Enhance Democracy... |
|
|
Groups educate and mobilize large numbers of people. |
|
|
Groups lobby Congress and the executive, engage in litigation, and represent their members. |
|
|
Interest groups monitor government programs to insure that their members are not adversely affected. |
|
|
According to the theory of pluralism, competition among varied interests produces balance and compromise. |
|
B) ... But Also Represent the Evils of Faction |
|
|
Not all groups are equally represented. |
|
C) Organized Interests Are Predominantly Economic |
|
|
Producers and manufacturers are one type of group. |
|
|
Labor organizations are often effectively organized. |
|
|
Public interest and public sector groups have grown more frequent in recent years. |
|
D) All Groups Require Money and Leadership and Most Need Members |
|
|
All groups must have members, and they can attract members both through policy goals and through direct economic or social benefits. |
|
|
All groups need a financial structure capable of sustaining the organization. |
|
E) Groups Membership Has An Upper-Class Bias |
|
|
Educated, affluent, professional persons are more likely to join groups. |
|
|
The interests served by groups tend to be those of the "haves" in society. |
|
F) Groups Form in Response to Changes in the Political Environment |
|
|
Groups tend to form in response to changing conditions. |
|
|
The past 30 years has seen an explosion in the number of groups |
|
|
The "New Politics" movement spawned many public interest groups. |
|
| 2) How and Why Do Interest Groups Form? |
|
|
According to the pluralism doctrine, groups should form whenever they can further people's interests. |
|
A) Interest Groups Facilitate Cooperation |
|
|
Members bear costs to advance common goals. |
|
|
Problems of collective action are serious, where being individually rational does not necessarily lead us to be collectively rational. |
|
|
Free riding is common and makes group formation and maintenance difficult, particularly with large groups. |
|
B) Selective Benefits: A Solution to the Collective Action Problem |
|
|
Informational, material, solidary, and purposive benefits all help solve the problem of collective action. |
|
C) Political Entrepreneurs Organize and Maintain Groups |
|
|
Leaders have their own private, selective incentives for creating groups, helping dissolve the paradox. |
|
| 3) How Do Interest Groups Influence Policy? |
|
A) Direct Lobbying |
|
|
Lobbyists often use personal relationships to cultivate access and influence. They obtain access, testify at hearings, identify allies, provide research, draft legislation, and communicate their message. |
|
|
Executive branch lobbying is also important, as stakeholders attempt to influence bureaucratic rule making and implementation. |
|
B) Using the Courts |
|
|
Groups affect policy through the Courts by bringing suits directly, financing suits by others, or by filing amicus curiae briefs. |
|
C) Mobilizing Public Opinion |
|
|
Going public is an outside strategy designed to mobilize public opinion. |
|
|
Advertising, protest politics, and grassroots lobbying are all potentially successful means of going public. |
|
D) Using Electoral Politics |
|
|
Political Action Committees give money to candidates sharing views with groups. |
|
|
Outright bribery is rare, but the donations do gain access for groups. |
|
|
Recent campaign finance reforms may have weakened parties and strengthened groups. |
|
|
Campaign activism or even ballot initiatives by groups can be even more influential than money. |
|
| 4) Groups and Interests: The Dilemma of Reform |
|
|
Groups provide numerous access points, and there is vigorous, pluralistic competition among groups. |
|
|
Still, not all groups are equally likely to organize, and the system benefits those with greater resources. |
|
