POS1041 Final Exam Review Fall 2012 Chapter 9 interest groups Interest groups Interest groups are a mechanism by which people s concerns are conveyed to the government o Facilitate organized political participation by people in electoral parties and policymakers Every citizen has interest yet not every citizen is in an interest group and vice versa Interest groups are usually small and organized around a discrete set of issues o Petition the government as outsiders Interest groups are viewed as fans to their political parties o Donate money to get the best players to support their issues Types of interest groups Private interest groups o 62 belong to these types of groups o Require membership for benefits o Seek economic or monetary benefits for members o Business labor professional and trade associations all fight to protect private interest AFL CIO Public interest groups citizen groups o No membership requirement for benefits o Seek to secure benefits that are available to a wide arrange of citizens o Environmental groups consumer advocacy groups and civil rights groups all represent public interest Interest groups that represent government interest o System of federalism in US divides Gov into local state and national levels Groups organize to represent subnational interest i e National governors association serves the interest of governors Lobbying interest groups impact political decision making by focusing their activities on direct influence over policy through lobbying o lobbying originates from the practice of interest group reps waiting in lobbies to talk to political elites about policy initiatives lobbying is the main tactic used by interest groups and it serves many purposes o Primary purpose of lobbyist is to provide current and meaningful info to Gov officials o Educate lawmakers and staff on issues of the interest group Lobbyist put info into talking points for lawmakers to better influence the way their issues are presented in congress and public Successful lobbying involves forging mutually beneficial relationships with executive agencies and federal staff Interest groups also have ways of lobbying the judicial branch o Amicus curiae friend of the court briefs Provide supreme court with important background info and thorough legal justification for their argument in a case Outside of courtroom interest groups further try to influence policy direction by pressuring congress over judicial appointments Election Activity During election seasons interest groups are seen sponsoring grassroots efforts at voter registration education and mobilization Interest groups establish political action committees or PAC s in order to raise money for campaigns of like minded candidates Interest groups particular useful to campaigns through their financial sponsorship of political advertising 527 organizations o Tax exempt o Largely unregulated by federal government o Permitted by law to engage in only issue advocacy and not candidate advocacy Other forms of influence mobilizing public opinion Other indirect or outside strategies used by interest groups include grassroots lobbying and o Grassroots lobbying is the process of getting members of interest groups actively involved in political process By changing political opinion and gaining support interest groups can often attract attention of policymakers Contact potential supporters via email phone mailing and advertisements Interest groups act as watchdogs by monitoring activities of the Gov and the implementation of public policy o Interest groups play an active role in holding Gov accountable Forming and maintaining a group Interest groups are formed in response to the threat of undesirable change o Private interest groups are formed in response to policy proposals that threatened them financially behavior o Public interest groups are formed to fight the government regulation of individual Forming and maintaining an interest group requires impetus resources leadership and a solution to the collective action problem o Collective action problem is the problem that not everyone in the group puts in the work yet still receive the benefits o How to prevent this Recruit members by offering solidary or purposeful benefits in return for participation Offer members selective or material benefits in return for participation Require membership o Interest group entrepreneurs are individuals who attempt to organize people with shared interest to take collective action Interest groups are likely to form when population has resources o Easier to influence policy makers Interest groups most likely to form when a disturbance occurs that affects people of high socioeconomic status o A threatening disturbance socioeconomic status and leadership are three factors that help explain why interest groups do don t form Any group that lobbies is required to register with the federal government Inequities in representation Lower and middle class American are less likely than wealthy citizens to have interest groups representations on their behalf U S is characterized by pluralist system o Representation is provided by those operating through competing groups Haves are more likely than have not s to be adequately represented by interest groups with a strong presence in D C Value of interest groups In a democracy where individuals are permitted to have political opinions and express them through voting and petitioning interest groups will exist o James Madison understood this reality and points to a number of realities of interest group politics Says group mentality is rooted in human nature When people are free to have own ideas own private property practice own religious beliefs and endorse their preferred political candidates factions or interest groups will develop o In representative democracy individuals influence their government in two ways Directly through lobbying Indirectly through elections and representation Advantages and disadvantages of interest group politics o Advantage o Disadvantage Provides voice to factions of people in democratic society Proliferation of interest groups has tendency to divide people encouraging animosity and oppression rather than cooperation Chapter 10 Judiciary Article III judicial branch Sets parameters governing judicial terms and compensation Outlines structure of the federal court system Outlines jurisdiction of federal courts Addresses specific treatment of the crime of treason First supreme court consisted
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