Kinds of Interest Groups
Chapter 16: Interest
Groups
„
Public Interest Groups
… Seek
„
„
Economic Interest Groups
… Promote
„
Organized groups that to
influence public policy
a collective good
Common Cause, environmental groups, church groups, etc.
„
the economic interest of their members
American Medical Association (AMA), unions (AFL-CIO),
Chamber of Commerce
Governmental Units
… State
and local governments seeking earmarks for
programs
Origins and Development of
Interest Groups
„
„
Political Action Committees
… Formed
by corporations, unions, and interest groups
to make contributions to candidates. Fund-raising
arms of these groups
„
Multi-Issue Groups
… NAACP,
„
Christian Coalition
Single Issue Groups
„
„
„
… NARAL
Pro-Choice America, NRA, National Right to
Life Committee
Feared and anticipated by Madison in Federalist
10
1840s – Single issue reform groups started by
Christian religious revivalists (i.e. temperance,
abolition)
Post Civil War – Grange, Railroad Industry
Progressive Era – single issue, trade (NAM,
Chamber of Commerce), labor (i.e., AFL), and
the first public interest groups
… Proliferation
of trade groups in response to the
creation of the Department of Commerce.
… 1928 – Federal Trade Commission (FTC) investigated
excesses of lobbyists
What interest groups do:
1960s – Renewed progressive spirit
(NOW, NAACP, Common Cause, Public
Citizen, Inc. [Ralph Nader])
„ 1980s – Conservative Response (Jerry
Falwell’s Moral Majority, Christian
Coalition)
„
„
„
„
„
„
Positives:
Get groups within the
public politically active
Give the “voiceless” a
voice
Increase public
awareness
Help set the public
agenda
„
„
„
„
Negatives:
Can increase the cost of
public policies (i.e. AARP
and Medicare)
Advance narrow
(selfish?) interests
Over-represent the rich
and powerful
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Lobbying
Lobbying . . .
Activity of a group that seeks to influence
legislation
„ Many techniques – Under what conditions
might a lobbyist use the various
techniques on p. 597?
„
„
Congress p. 598ff.
Executive Branch p. 601
„ Courts p. 601ff.
„ Grassroots p. 602
„ Radical Activism and Protests p. 602 ff.
„
Example: Transportation Policy
Congressional Committees:
Senate: Commerce, Science and Transportation
House: Transportation Infrastructure
Iron Triangles
Department of Transportation
Example: Transportation Policy
Congressional Committees:
Senate: Commerce, Science and Transportation
House: Transportation Infrastructure
AAA, Truckers Union
Example: Transportation Policy
Congressional Committees:
Senate: Commerce, Science and Transportation
House: Transportation Infrastructure
1. Congress to Interest Groups
•
•
•
Positive legislation
Access
Information
2. Interest Groups to Congress
•
Department of Transportation
AAA, Truckers Union
Department of Transportation
Information
•
Electoral support
•
Campaign contributions
AAA, Truckers Union
2
Example: Transportation Policy
Congressional Committees:
Senate: Commerce, Science and Transportation
House: Transportation Infrastructure
Example: Transportation Policy
Congressional Committees:
Senate: Commerce, Science and
Transportation
House: Transportation
Infrastructure
1. Congress to Bureaucracy
•
Budgetary Support
•
Information
•
Access
•
Positive Legislation
Department of Transportation
AAA, Truckers
Union
2. Bureaucracy to Congress
•
Positive legislative
enforcement
•
Information
1. Bureaucracy to Interest Groups
AAA, Truckers Union
2. Interest Groups to Bureaucracy
•
Positive legislative enforcement
•
Information
•
Research
•
Research
•
Enforcement support
•
Access
•
Budgetary support
•
Information
Department of Transportation
Under what conditions are Iron
Triangles more effective
„
„
„
Visibility/Publicity?
Degree of controversy?
Nature of interest groups involved?
Compare Iron Triangles vs. Issue
Networks
„
„
„
Number of poles?
Relative fluidity?
Reflective of reality?
Lobbying Reform
„
Annenberg
http://www.justicetalking.org/ShowPage.aspx
?ShowID=537
… Interview
with Matthew Contenetti
Jack Abramoff, Tom Delay, and Newt
Gingrich, K-Street Project
… What were the excesses of the interest groupCongress connection that emerged in early 2006?
… How does Newt Gingrich suggest that the
proliferation of lobbyists be stemmed?
… What other reforms would you suggest?
… Identify:
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