Ps 101 1st Edition Lecture 17Outline of Last Lecture I. Functions of Voting In DemocracyII. The Paradox of Voting-Who VotesIII. Explanations for VariationIV. Voting Cues-The “personal vote” -The “reasonable vote”V. Political Scientists’ Classifications -Seven Category DivisionVI. Myth of the Independent VoterVII. “Normal” Elections-Split ticket voting -Straight ticket votingOutline of Current LectureI. What is an interest group?II. Interest Groups and Democracy-Roles-TypesIII. More on Groups-Organized-Membership-ResourcesIV. Theories About Group Formation-“Disturbance Theory”-“Entrepreneurship Theory”Current LectureI. What is an Interest Group?A. An organization of people who share common political interests and aim to influence public policy by electioneering and lobbying1. Some examples?a. Sierra clubb. AARPThese notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.c. National Rifle AssociationB. How Do They Differ From…1. Pressure groupsa. Just a synonym for interest/advocacy groups2. Partiesa. They nominate candidates for elections3. “Special interests”a. Interested in advancing a specific area of knowledge, learning, or technologyC. The Interest Group Universe1. Thousands of registered interest groups2. A big increase in recent decades3. Some groups have millions of membersD. Why So Many Groups?1. Diverse society = many different interests2. Structure of American constitutional systema. Federalism + separation of powers gives many different access points3. Relative weakness of political partiesa. In systems where parties are strong, interests work through the partiesb. In systems where parties are weaker, interest groups operate directly on the governmentII. Interest Groups and DemocracyA. de Tocqueville’s Observation1. Americans are a “nation of joiners” and this is a reflection of a strong democratic cultureB. Madison’s Observation1. People are naturally inclined to associate with one another 2. Factions may be dangerous, but eliminating them would restrict libertyC. Roles of Interest Groups1. Representationa. Groups represent their constituents before government2. Participation a. They facilitate people’s participations in politics 3. Education a. Of members, the government, and public officials4. Agenda-building a. Their advocacy brings new issues to the agenda5. Program monitoringa. Keep track of how programs are working and try to persuade government to take action when issues ariseD. Types of Groups1.Economic groupsa. Corporations, trade associations, labor groups, professionalorganizations b. Seek to promote policies that will help their members monetarily2. Citizen groups (aka public interest groups) a. Seek changes in spending, regulation, or government programs across a wide range of policies3. Single-interest groupsa. Have a narrowly focused goal focusing on a single piece of legislation or government programIII. More On GroupsA. How are Groups Organized?1. Centralized groupsa. Have headquarters in DC, as well as field offices b. Groups’ decisions are made by leaders at headquarters 2. Confederationsa. Interest groups made up of several independent local organizations b. Local groups provide much of their funding and hold most of the powerB. Who Works for Groups?1. Two types of staff a. Policy expertsi. Natural and social scientists, engineers, etc.b. Government expertsi. Former elected officials, bureaucrats, legislative staff2. The “revolving door”a. Movement of individuals from government positions to jobs with interest groups and back againb. Why might this be a problem? Why might it not be?i. Conflict of interest- influences how you govern in officeii. Groups may have insider knowledge they shouldn’t haveiii. But being in congress doesn’t pay a lot, and many people cannot just go back to their old jobsC. Group Membership1. Mass associationsa. Have large numbers of dues-paying individuals as membersi. National Wildlife Federation2. Peak associationsa. Groups whose members are businesses or other organizations rather than individualsi. American Meat Instituteii. BIPACD. Group Resources1. Peoplea. A large and active membership can be a big plus for a group b. But gaining members can be expensive and mobilizing those members can be difficult2. Moneya. Well-funded groups have big advantages b. But these advantages are not insurmountable3. Expertise a. But these groups have reputations for policy expertise and knowledge of political climateIV. Theories About Group FormationA. David Truman’s “Disturbance Theory” 1. Groups form naturally when people are adversely affected by a disturbance B. Robert Salisbury’s “Entrepreneurship Theory” 1. Quality of leadership is a key determinant of successful group formationC. Interest Groups and Collective Action1. Why do groups have trouble gaining and keeping members? 2. The return of the “collective action problem”a. Members of a group would benefit by working together to produce some outcome, but each individual is better off refusing to cooperate and reaping benefits from those who do the workD. Overcoming the Free Rider Problem1. Offer material/selective incentives a. Money, things, or services that go only to group members2. Play up solidary incentives a. Enjoyment of working with like-minded people3. Play up purposive incentivesa. Satisfaction of working toward the policy goal4. Coercion a. Requiring participationE. Implications1. Which groups have the easiest and hardest times gaining and maintaining membership?a. Easiest = busniess, professional, and trade organizationsb. Hardest = citizen groups2. Is the interest group universe representative?a. “The flaw in the pluralist heaven is that the heavenly chorus sings with a strong upper class accent.”- E.E.