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Interest Groups. What is an Interest Group?. A private organization that tries to persuade public officials to respond to the shared attitudes of its members. The Role of Interest Groups. Goal : Seek to influence the making and content of public policy.
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What is an Interest Group? • A private organization that tries to persuade public officials to respond to the shared attitudes of its members.
The Role of Interest Groups Goal: Seek to influence the making and content of public policy. Public Policy – the goals a gov’t sets and the actions it takes to meet them in the many areas in which it is involved. They function or operate at all levels of government, including federal, state, and local.
Political Parties and Interest Groups • Both groups are made up of people who unite for some political purpose and are similar in certain respects, but… They differ from each other in three striking respects: • In the making of nominations • In their primary focus • In the scope of their interests
Nominating Function Political parties nominate candidates for office; interest groups do not. Interest groups do try to affect the outcome of elections, but do not pick candidates to run under their labels. If they did, they would in effect become third parties/minor parties.
Differing Goals Political parties care mostly about who takes part in government, while interest groups care mostly about what the government does. Parties focus mainly on the candidate, while interests focus on an issue.
Range of Concern Political Parties Concerned with a whole range of public affairs, with everything of concern to voters. Interest Groups Almost always concentrate only on those issues that most directly affect the interests of their members.
Accountability • Interest groups are private organizations and are not accountable to the public. Political parties, on the other hand, are held accountable by the voting public.
Valuable Functions of Interest Groups • Help to stimulate interest and awareness in public affairs • Represent their members on the basis of shared attitudes and beliefs rather than on geography • Provide useful, specialized, detailed information to gov’t. • Vehicles for political participation (Effective Linkage Institutions) • Add additional element to checks-and-balances system / keep tabs on gov’t • Help to regulate each other as well
Criticisms of Interest Groups • Some have an influence far out of proportion to their size, or to their importance or contribution to the public good / more influence then they deserve • Difficult to judge how many people a group actually represents. • Do not always represent the people they claim to speak for. • Use of unethical tactics (bribery, etc.) • Many suggest the system is biased toward the wealthy.
Types of Interest Groups • There are thousands of interest groups in existence in the United States today. • Each one becomes an interest group when it tries to influence the actions of gov’t to promote its own goals. • May have thousands of members, or may have only a few. • Extremely wide range of characteristics.
Reasons for Establishment • Largest number have been founded on basis of an economic interest • Business • Labor • Agricultural • Professional • Others born out of a cause or an idea • Others exist to promote the interests of certain groups of people
Business Groups • Look to government to protect their interests. Trade Associations – interest groups within the business community / formed by one segment of the business community; represent a more particular group
Labor Groups Labor Union – organization of workers who share the same type of job or who work in the same industry / press for gov’t policies that will benefit their members
Agricultural Groups Farmers influence on the government’s agricultural policies is and has been enormous.
Professional Groups Professions are generally defined as those occupation that require extensive and specialized training, such as medicine, law, and teaching.
Groups that Promote Causes • While some groups promote certain causes, there are usually other groups that oppose those same causes.
Groups that Promote the Welfare of Certain People • Seek to promote the welfare of a certain segment of the population.
Religious Groups • Another form of interest group that tries to influence public policy in several important areas.
Public-Interest Groups • They have a broader goal / They work for the “public good” • Seek to institute certain policies that benefit all or most people in the country, whether or not they belong to or support the organization
Influencing Public Policies • Try to influence public opinion • Work to affect the outcome of elections • Lobby those who make public policy
Influencing Public Opinion “Public opinion is the most significant long-term force in American politics.” • No public policy will be successful without the support of a sizeable portion of the population. • Interest groups reach out to the public to accomplish one of three major goals…
Three Major Goals of Interest Groups • To supply the public with information an organization thinks the people should have. • To build a positive image for a group. • To promote a particular public policy.
Propaganda A technique of persuasion aimed at influencing individual or group behaviors. Interest groups use propaganda to create public attitudes they want by trying to create a particular belief.
Propaganda Techniques Bandwagon – Giving the impression that everyone is supporting this issue, or voting this way, and so should you if you want to be like everyone else. Glittering Generalities – Associating positive symbols, slogans and vague phrases with an idea or person.
Propaganda Techniques Testimonial – Getting some well-known person to endorse an idea or candidate in an attempt to get a favorable reaction from you. Transfer – Shifting the attraction of strong positive symbols or the repulsion of strong negative symbols to some person, group or idea for which they were not intended.
Propaganda Techniques Plain Folks – Claiming to be “just one of the folks”. Sometimes voters are convinced of the worth of a candidate because that candidate acts “folksy” by using simple English, kissing babies or posing with a fishing rod in their hand.
Propaganda Techniques Name Calling – Using labels or attaching a negative symbol to someone or something instead of discussing the facts. Cardstacking – Presenting only one side of a situation or using only part of the facts.
Influencing Parties and Elections • Some groups keep close ties with one or the other of the major parties. • Most hope to secure the support of both parties. • Must always consider the effects of alienating a party that might possibly win an election.
Campaign Costs • Interests groups are a major source of campaign funds for political parties. • Contribute largely through Political Action Committees (PACs), or groups formed to raise and distribute money to candidates.
Single-Interest Groups PACs that concentrate their efforts on one issue, such as abortion, gun control, etc. They work for or against a candidate solely on the basis of that candidate’s stand on one particular issue. Only type of interest group that attempts to directly affect the electoral process.
Lobbying • Those activities by which group pressures are brought to bear on legislators and the legislative process. • Legally defined as communicating on behalf of a paying client with officials in the legislative or executive branches, in an attempt to influence legislation.
Lobbyist • Work within different branches of government, as well as at different levels. • Almost all of the important interests in the country maintain lobbyists in Washington, and throughout the 50 states.
Lobbyist at Work • Their major task is to work for those matters that benefit their clients and against those that may harm them. • Must be knowledgeable of the political system and thoroughly familiar with the gov’t and its procedures.
Techniques / Tactics • They see that all information favorable to their causes reach the appropriate officeholders. • Testify before Congressional Committees. • Initiate and activate Grass Roots pressure. • Publish ratings of members of Congress (rankings based on their voting record)
Lobbyist Work • Major techniques involve friendliness, persuasion, and helpfulness. • Make campaign contributions, provide information, write speeches, and draft legislation. • Lobbyist know if they choose to act unethically, they would damage/destroy their credibility and their overall effectiveness.
LobbyRegulations • Bribery and unethical practices do not occur on a regular basis, but still surface occasionally. • Federal regulations have been passed requiring all lobbyists or anyone who seeks to influence Congress, their staffers, or other policy-makers to register their basic information and general activities.
Iron Triangles (Subgovernments) • Interest groups are one side of this triangle that exercise a great deal of control over specific policy areas, along with the government agency in charge of administering that policy, and the members of congressional committees and subcommittees handling that policy.
