POS2001 Professor Mark Druash Final Exam Study Guide Tips Read chapters 6 9 16 Means it is for important to know that or the term Chapter 6 Interest Groups I What is an interest group Any group of people with the desire to influence government However interest groups are very different from political parties How They work outside the electoral process They are not responsible to public not accountable to people like elected officials They are success orientated at all costs Will form coalitions with both parties Will form coalitions with any power group Their membership is usually very narrows not board or diverse like political parties Central interests area is usually very narrow not board Almost unlimited in number 2 500 registered in Washington alone not counting local and state governments A Who belongs to interest groups They reflect the many interests of society but membership is almost exclusively made up of Middle class Upper class Business class Better educated What about the poor segments of society Like those who need government help the most use it least B Interest groups and government There is a strong relationship between the number of government programs and number of interest groups more programs more interest groups government programs spawn interest groups Some nations use practice of corporatism the allowance of interest groups and industry lobbyists to legislation but to actually make laws 1 Interest groups are helpful in that they deliver facts about difficult technical decisions BUT are still very dangerous to principles of democratic rule C Bureaucrats as an interest group Government bureaucrats state agencies colleges citied the military all have officials and sometimes unofficial interest groups i e lobbying efforts Why These government agencies all have public affairs offices with lobbyists seeking to benefit their positions be it funding growth preservation etc some employees are on permanent payroll to lobby while some hire lobbying firms all seek to move their agencies forward less popular in nations with multiparty systems for example France considers interest groups to be an affront to the will of the people What elements make interest groups effective Not all nations embrace interest groups interest groups are Note II Effective interest groups A Political Culture the setting Interest groups flourish in pluralistic societies a nation with a population have many differing interests i e a diverse demographic like the USA Interest groups flourish in societies that have a tradition of public participation in government social groups or clubs association etc Cultures found in USA Britain and Germany have qualities that reflect societal and institutional trust and have many interest groups Cultures found in Italy and Mexico tend to have qualities that are less likely to subscribe to societal and institutional trust and thus do no promote development of interest groups those societies have little trust outside the family system is the most important characteristic necessary for interest Many countries have enacted legislation to reduce the influence of money on government by instituting public financing mechanisms for elections and various other legal restrictions which reduce the influence of money on a legislative activity and elections In the USA there is a reluctance to endorse public financing for 3 reasons First freedom of speech the Supreme Court has ruled that contributions are a form of free speech political expression and fall under the protection of the 1st amendment of the Constitution B The rise of Big Money Money group success 2 Second political campaigns are much longer and require more money than in the past Third no successful model has ever been developed that satisfies our current election process Currently the upper limits on political contributions 2 500 to candidates 10 000 to state or local political party 35 000 to national political party In response to legislation restricting political contributions there has been the creation and proliferation of the Political Action Committee PAC s and super PAC s How do they work Individuals from legal organizations support political positions or issues but do not directly identify the candidates individually These organizations can receive unlimited contributions form the public corporations etc in support of their favorite political positions or interest they then can channel money to the advertise and promote positions and in particular those candidates who happen to support these positions this is one type of soft money There is potential for serious abuse to the political system thru excessive influence Intensity is the second most important agent for success the single issue interest group is the most intense of all interest groups only care about succeeding Only one issue matters to these single issue interest groups ex pro life pro choice gun rights etc Issues found here are almost always represented by the bimodal curve Political scientists consider the single interest group a genuine threat to the principles of democratic role since they collectively wield a great deal of political power but reside outside of public accountability the voting process The third most important agent for success is size and American Association of Retired People AARP characteristics of membership fastest growing of all interest groups is the biggest and 35 million member Quality of membership professionals high Money and wealth of membership 3 C Rise of single issue interest groups D Size and Membership Increasing demographic Major issues include factors which commonly effect an aging population such as social security health care etc Broader than a simple single issue interest group Other powerful interest groups include American Medial Association AMA American Bar Association ABA American Federation of Teachers AFT Besides power they have longevity in that they are not ad hoc groups that go away after 1 year E Access to lawmakers To be successful an interest group must grain access to the decision makers lawmakers and other power players governors governors staff president staff president etc Many interest group s hire established and successful lobbying firms to handle access issues Concept of structured access Someone who has a relationship with a lawmaker such as a family member personal friend relative or a religious connection is an advantage F Strategies of interest groups Lobbying Directly