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TAMU POLS 207 - Interest Groups
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Lecture 7Outline of Last Lecture I. GerrymanderingII. Definition of Political Participation III. Types and Frequencies of Political Participation by American Citizens IV. Participation in the US and Texas Compared to Other Nations a. motor voter lawV. Types of Political Participants VI. Participation Factors in Texas Politics a. Historical Legacies, Social and Economic Factors, Party Competition, Region/CultureVII. Requirements for Voting in TexasVIII. How to lose your right to vote in Texas IX. Reading Homework: Chapter 4 Section Protest as Political ParticipationOutline of Current Lecture: I. Interest Groups in State Politics II. Main Types of Interest Groups a. Business, Occupational, Agriculture, Public Interest III. Strategies of Interest Groups a. Financial/Electoral Support, Lobbying, Public Relations Campaigning IV. Interest Group Power and Influence a. Factors: Diversity of State Industry, Party Strength, Professionalism, State Political Culture, Government Fragmentation V. Regulations of Interest Groups, Specifically In TexasCurrent LectureINTEREST GROUPSReading Reminder for Test:- 50 Questions, Bring a scantron (8.5 x 11), Bring your ID Interest Groups in State Politics- interest group = a formal association of individuals that attempts to influence governmental policy Some of the Main Types of Interest Groups: For each, think about each group’s incentive to influence government! Business Groups o example - group of small business owners, a manufacturing association, a group involved in a certain segment of the economy like the oil/gas industry o influence because regulations & taxes of the states affect businesses so want to have a say  Occupational/Professional Groups o ex = Teachers Groups (want to influence what tests you have to pass, what education you have to have, what salaries are going to be like, what retirement plans are going to be like)o directly or indirectly regulated by the state POLS 207 2nd Editiono most states regulate at least 60 occupations (teaching, barbers, stylists, morticians, etc)o state controls their entry (who can be teacher, who can practice medicine, who can cut hair)o groups want to have a say in what the pay of compensation, what the standards are, what the regulations are, what the entry is  Agriculture Groups o agriculture is a business (regulations on safety, marketing, distribution)  some agriculture groups look just like other business groups o Some groups though represent farm workers to protect their safety from pesticides, etc. these groups represent more of an occupational group Public Interest Groupso public interest groups are not trying to seek material benefits for their members  on the other hand, businesses want better business conditions occupational groups want more pay and compensation  most groups are looking for material benefits from gov. directly & indirectly!o public interest groups are NOT aimed at material benefitso public interest groups are aimed at better government for the interest of the public  example - Sierra Group = Environmental Group o work for common cause (American Civil Liberties Union, Women’s Groups) o monitor what government does and publicizes what they think good government is The Strategies of Interest Groups  1. Financial/Electoral Supporto one way groups can get their way in the governmental systemo support candidates running for office & support political campaigns to further their own causeo Political Action Committees (PAC) = organizations whose sole purpose to channel money to candidates running for office o Why do they give financial support? Goal #1 = To get somebody elected who is supportive of the group’s cause  Goal #2 = If somebody is elected, you want them to feel obligated to the group who helped them get electedo People are concerned that this is too much like buying votes/policieso Surveys shows that Interest Groups don’t necessarily buy votes/legislation  cannot expect their candidate to always side with them, but the groups do get access, the ability to talk to a legislator and convince them to vote on the group’s side o Electoral Support >> endorsements of candidates by a group to sway public votes, access to group members to speak at luncheons, these groups may encourage their members to go vote, getting the word out about voting and endorsing candidates 2. Lobbying o lobbying = direct contact and communication with government officials in support of or in opposition to certain policies o environment groups might push to ban certain pesticides versus … o agriculture groups might push to keep the pesticides because it helps their businesso lobbying state legislators, people in the executive branch, people in governor’s officeo main lobbying = lobbying to state legislators o perspective: lobbying is often viewed negatively, but lobbying serves a purpose in educating/informing legislators o What happens if lobbyist is twisting facts, telling untruths?  Then legislators will stop listening to them, so lobbyists have to convince legislators that their perspective is true 3. Conducting Public Relations/Public Education Campaigns o to move public opinion on an issue, convince voters in a state of the group’s point of view o environmentalist will convince voters that the pesticides are unsafe, toxico do this by advertising and speaking to public o convince voters in order to sway them to contact state legislators to influence the government o to show that public polls are in favor of their interest groups o in the ratification stage of constitutional amendments, advertisements by interest groups will try to convince voters to vote for or against the amendment in the referendum (another type of public relation campaign) Interest Group Power and Influence  There is no doubt that interest groups have a powerful influence on state and local policies  If they didn’t have influence, they wouldn’t exist, wouldn’t spend so much money on it However, this influence can be hard to measure... which strategies work the best  There are several reasons for this …o 1. Groups and legislators often deny group influence exists o 2. A lot of lobbying is done behind the scenes (private meetings)o 3. It is hard to determined precisely what part of interest group activity is the most influential factor (is it swaying the public, is it lobbying, is it the financial support)Factors Related to Interest


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TAMU POLS 207 - Interest Groups

Type: Lecture Note
Pages: 5
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