POLS 1101 Lecture 20 Outline of Last Lecture I Voting Rights II Removing Voting Barriers III Groups and Voting Rights IV Turnout Trends V Participation Rates VI Mobilization Outline of Current Lecture I Interest Groups II Interest Groups by Type III Social Movements IV Understanding Social Movements V Collective Dilemmas and Group Politics VI Strategies for Overcoming Collective action Problems VII Coordination Problems for Groups with Similar Goals Current Lecture Models of Group Organization I Interest Groups organized interest or special interest Any group other than a political party that is organized to influence government a Usually have a narrower focus than parties Most of the time just focus on one issue that is really important to them Political parties focus on many issues at one time b Lobbying is a common action Any means by which the organization tries to influence policy holders or legislatures Directly meeting with policy makers and directly trying to make your case Indirect lobbying trying to increase consistent pressure so the member will feel like he or she has to do what the constituent wants HOW DID LOBBYIST BEGIN During the Grant Admin President Grant had a favorite bar that was close to the white house he went every day soon people figured that out and people who wanted to get his attention waited in the lobby of the bar and tried to catch him as they came in and bought him a drink for some time to express their issues Most interest groups in the U S represent business Example NRA National Rifle Association single issue groups Another type of interest group is public interest groups II Interest Groups by Type III Social Movements Disorganized Interest Groups that use popular participation to influence the government Social movements are not formal organizations Can be made up of many interest groups Develop when groups feel excluded from the political process Student Groups Religious Groups Liberal Groups Individuals share a common interest in an issue such as civil rights They locate other individuals with similar interests and begin to organize in to groups These groups coordinate their actions to gain greater leverage for change and form a movement Civil Rights Movement Often one or more interest groups related to the social movement become established as mainstream Washington organization NAACP Rainbow Coalition MALEF NOW Human Rights Campaign IV Understanding Social Movements Why do some succeed in mobilizing people while others fail a Overcoming collective action problems All of them individuals group face free rider problems People don t show up to meetings because your opinion doesn t really matter in a huge group of people b Having established groups and organizations helps to overcome collective action problems Churches etc V Collective Dilemmas and Group Politics Free rider problem is endemic to organizing Easy to free ride on the work of interest groups and social movements Overcoming collective action problems a Groups are more likely to succeed when they exist not just to influence politics and when they curb free riding VI Strategies for Overcoming Collective action Problems Offering selective incentives Contributions from special donors a Are willing to bear the collective cost Reliance on entrepreneurs VII Coordination Problems for Groups with Similar Goals Joining forces helps form broad coalitions but can also lead to coordination problems Overcoming coordination problems a Find a common message b Focus lobbying on the same people in government c Organize strategies