Identify similarities and differences among Interest Groups and Political Parties. Include in your characteristics goals, participants, and methodology. Add your
own characteristics to the matrix and identify what you notice from doing this.
Interest Groups
Characteristic 1
Political Parties
Similarities & Differences
Goals
Characteristic 2
Similarities & Differences
Participants
Characteristic 3
Similarities & Differences
Methodology
Characteristic 4
Similarities & Differences
Identify similarities and differences among different theories of Interest Group Politics. What do you notice from doing this?
Pluralism
Characteristic 1
Elitism
Hyperpluralism
Similarities & Differences
Lobbying
Characteristic 2
Similarities & Differences
Participants
Characteristic 3
Similarities & Differences
Competition
Characteristic 4
Outcome
Similarities & Differences
You have been given a list of interest groups. Sort them into groups according to types (economic issues, environmental concerns, equality issues, public
interest lobbies). If you are unsure of the type, look the interest group up! Then reclassify them using a different characteristic – be ready to explain the
properties that define your groups.
American Civil Liberties Union
Human Rights Campaign
AFL/CIO – American Federation of Labor/Congress of Industrial
Organizations
The Interfaith Alliance
American Israel Public Affairs Committee
Americans for Democratic Action
AARP – American Association for Retired Persons
Americans United for the Separation of Church and State
Amnesty International USA
The Christian Coalition
Common Cause
The Concord Coalition
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
Families USA
Family Research Council
The Federalist Society
The Feminist Majority
Greenpeace USA
The John Birch Society
The National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League
NAACP – The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
National Organization for Women
National Republican Congressional Committee
National Republican Senatorial Committee
National Rifle Association
National Right to Life Committee
People for the American Way
PETA – People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
Planned Parenthood Federation of America
The Sierra Club
Southern Poverty Law Center
Veterans of Foreign Wars
U.S. Chamber of Commerce