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10 2 Interest Groups Defined Social Sci Libretexts

Leo Migdal
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10 2 interest groups defined social sci libretexts

\( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \) \( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \) \( \newcommand{\dsum}{\displaystyle\sum\limits} \) \( \newcommand{\dint}{\displaystyle\int\limits} \) \( \newcommand{\dlim}{\displaystyle\lim\limits} \) Chapter 10: Interest Groups and Lobbying

By the end of this section, you will be able to: While the term interest group is not mentioned in the U.S. Constitution, the framers were aware that individuals would band together in an attempt to use government in their favor. In Federalist No. 10, James Madison warned of the dangers of “factions,” minorities who would organize around issues they felt strongly about, possibly to the detriment of the majority. But Madison believed limiting these factions was worse than facing the evils they might produce, because such limitations would violate individual freedoms.

Instead, the natural way to control factions was to let them flourish and compete against each other. The sheer number of interests in the United States suggests that many have, indeed, flourished. They compete with similar groups for membership, and with opponents for access to decision-makers. Some people suggest there may be too many interests in the United States. Others argue that some have gained a disproportionate amount of influence over public policy, whereas many others are underrepresented. Madison’s definition of factions can apply to both interest groups and political parties.

But unlike political parties, interest groups do not function primarily to elect candidates under a certain party label or to directly control the operation of the government. Political parties in the United States are generally much broader coalitions that represent a significant proportion of citizens. In the American two-party system, the Democratic and Republican Parties spread relatively wide nets to try to encompass large segments of the population. In contrast, while interest groups may support or oppose political candidates, their goals are usually more issue-specific and narrowly focused on areas like taxes, the environment, and gun rights or gun control, or their... They may represent interests ranging from well-known organizations, such as the Sierra Club, IBM, or the American Lung Association, to obscure ones, such as the North Carolina Gamefowl Breeders Association. Thus, with some notable exceptions, specific interest groups have much more limited membership than do political parties.

Political parties and interest groups both work together and compete for influence, although in different ways. While interest group activity often transcends party lines, many interests are perceived as being more supportive of one party than the other. The American Conservative Union, Citizens United, the National Rifle Association, and National Right to Life are more likely to have relationships with Republican lawmakers than with Democratic ones. Americans for Democratic Action, Moveon.org, and the Democratic Governors Association all have stronger relationships with the Democratic Party. Parties and interest groups do compete with each other, however, often for influence. At the state level, we typically observe an inverse relationship between them in terms of power.

Interest groups tend to have greater influence in states where political parties are comparatively weaker. Some interest groups represent a broad set of interests, while others focus on only a single issue. Some interests are organizations, like businesses, corporations, or governments, which register to lobby, typically to obtain some benefit from the legislature. Other interest groups consist of dues-paying members who join a group, usually voluntarily. Some organizations band together, often joining trade associations that represent their industry or field. Interest groups represent either the public interest or private interests.

Private interests often lobby government for particularized benefits, which are narrowly distributed. These benefits usually accrue to wealthier members of society. Public interests, on the other hand, try to represent a broad segment of society or even all persons. Interest groups often have to contend with disincentives to participate, particularly when individuals realize their participation is not critical to a group’s success. People often free ride when they can obtain benefits without contributing to the costs of obtaining these benefits. To overcome these challenges, group leaders may offer incentives to members or potential members to help them mobilize.

Groups that are small, wealthy, and/or better organized are sometimes better able to overcome collective action problems. Sometimes external political, social, or economic disturbances result in interest group mobilization. Interest groups afford people the opportunity to become more civically engaged. Socioeconomic status is an important predictor of who will likely join groups. The number and types of groups actively lobbying to get what they want from government have been increasing rapidly. Many business and public interest groups have arisen, and many new interests have developed due to technological advances, increased specialization of industry, and fragmentation of interests.

Lobbying has also become more sophisticated in recent years, and many interests now hire lobbying firms to represent them. Some scholars assume that groups will compete for access to decision-makers and that most groups have the potential to be heard. Critics suggest that some groups are advantaged by their access to economic resources. Yet others acknowledge these resource advantages but suggest that the political environment is equally important in determining who gets heard. Interest groups support candidates sympathetic to their views in hopes of gaining access to them once they are in office. PACs and super PACs collect money from donors and distribute it to political groups that they support.

Lawmakers rely on interest groups and lobbyists to provide them with information about the technical details of policy proposals, as well as about fellow lawmakers’ stands and constituents’ perceptions, for cues about how to... Lobbyists also target the executive and judiciary branches. An interest group (also called an advocacy group, lobbying group, pressure group, or special interest) is a group, however loosely or tightly organized, that is determined to encourage or prevent changes in public policy... American Civil Liberties UnionHomepage of the ACLU American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizatons (AFL-CIO)Homepage of the AFL-CIO, a voluntary federation of 56 national and international labor unions. American Israel Public Affairs CommitteeAmerica's leading pro-Israel lobby. Americans for Democratic ActionAn "organization committed to liberal politics, liberal policies, and a liberal future." American Association for Retired Persons (AARP)Homepage of the AARP.Americans United for the Separation of Church and StateA group dedicated...

Amnesty International USAThe U.S. page for the international human rights organization. The Christian CoalitionOne of the largest conservative grassroots political organizations in America. Common CauseA nonpartisan nonprofit advocacy organization for citizens to be heard in the political process. The Concord CoalitionNon-partisan, grassroots organization interested in federal budget deficits and how to build a sound foundation for economic growth. Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee The official campaign arm of the Democrats in the House.Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee An organization dedicated to electing a Democratic SenateFamilies USANational nonprofit, non-partisan organization dedicated to the achievement of...

Family Research CouncilA grassroots organization interested in faith, family and freedom in public policy and public opinion. The Federalist SocietyA group of conservatives and libertarians interested in the current state of the legal order. The Feminist MajorityAn organization dedicated to women's equality, reproductive health, and non-violence. Greenpeace USAThe well-known pro-environmental group. Human Rights CampaignThe largest national lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization. The Interfaith AllianceAn organization for the integrity of both religion and democracy in America.

National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League (NARAL)Dedicated to protecting a woman's right to choose. National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)The nation's oldest and largest civil rights organizationNational Committee for an Effective CongressSupports progressive candidates who fight for freedom of choice, separation of church and state,... National Organization for WomenThe largest organization of feminist activists in the United States.National Republican Congressional CommitteeAn organization working to increase Republican representation in the House. National Republican Senatorial CommitteeDedicated to electing Republicans to the U.S. Senate. National Rifle Association (NRA)America's foremost defender of the right to bear arms.

National Right to Life CommitteePro-life interest group. People for the American WayAn interest group supporting equality for all. People for the Ethical Treatment of AnimalsDedicated to protecting animal rights. Planned Parenthood Federation of AmericaPromotes a commonsense approach to women’s health and well-being.The Sierra ClubWorks to protect communities, wild places, and the planet itself. Veterans of Foreign WarsFights for veretans' rights. \( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \)

\( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \) \( \newcommand{\dsum}{\displaystyle\sum\limits} \) \( \newcommand{\dint}{\displaystyle\int\limits} \) \( \newcommand{\dlim}{\displaystyle\lim\limits} \) Who rules the United States? Does the American constitution enable the public to control public policy?

Have the various institutional changes that have altered the constitutional system—changes in federalism, constitutional law and rights, as well as the development of the bureaucratic state—enhanced or undermined popular representation? This chapter will consider these questions by examining the role of interest groups in American politics. There are no simple answers to these questions. Our ability to know the precise effects of interest group power is limited, because it is extremely difficult to determine whether the American federal government, responds to the interests of “the public” or the... Nevertheless, even though it can be difficult to determine the precise impact of interest groups on American politics, we can determine the features of American government that enable interest group power, and the changes... Theories of interest group power in American politics fall into two broad categories: pluralist theories and “power elite” theories (with many individual theories falling somewhere between these two extremes.) Pluralists argue that interest groups...

Pluralists do not believe that interest groups necessarily “dominate” government in a way that has an adverse effect upon society. Pluralists think that James Madison’s predictions about the character of American society in Federalist Paper #10 were correct. “Power” in American society is widely distributed amongst different groups, not least because political power (understood as the ability to exert influence over others) has many different sources: wealth, knowledge, education, numbers, organization, fame,... Given the wide variety of sources of power, and given the conflicts between different kinds of economic elites (the kinds of conflicts anticipated by Madison), interest groups in the United States do not form... There are many different kinds of interest groups, many different ways to exercise power within the American political system, and no permanent ruling class of interest that is always able to achieve its ends. Interest groups, therefore, do not distort American democracy; they are part of American democracy, and provide important links between government and the people.

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\( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \) \( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash

\( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \) \( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \) \( \newcommand{\dsum}{\displaystyle\sum\limits} \) \( \newcommand{\dint}{\displaystyle\int\limits} \) \( \newcommand{\dlim}{\displaystyle\lim\limits} \) Chapter 10: Interest Groups and Lobbying

By The End Of This Section, You Will Be Able

By the end of this section, you will be able to: While the term interest group is not mentioned in the U.S. Constitution, the framers were aware that individuals would band together in an attempt to use government in their favor. In Federalist No. 10, James Madison warned of the dangers of “factions,” minorities who would organize around issues they felt strongly about, possibly to the detriment o...

Instead, The Natural Way To Control Factions Was To Let

Instead, the natural way to control factions was to let them flourish and compete against each other. The sheer number of interests in the United States suggests that many have, indeed, flourished. They compete with similar groups for membership, and with opponents for access to decision-makers. Some people suggest there may be too many interests in the United States. Others argue that some have g...

But Unlike Political Parties, Interest Groups Do Not Function Primarily

But unlike political parties, interest groups do not function primarily to elect candidates under a certain party label or to directly control the operation of the government. Political parties in the United States are generally much broader coalitions that represent a significant proportion of citizens. In the American two-party system, the Democratic and Republican Parties spread relatively wide...

Political Parties And Interest Groups Both Work Together And Compete

Political parties and interest groups both work together and compete for influence, although in different ways. While interest group activity often transcends party lines, many interests are perceived as being more supportive of one party than the other. The American Conservative Union, Citizens United, the National Rifle Association, and National Right to Life are more likely to have relationship...