Chapter 10

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman



Chapter 10: Interest Groups

• The Role of Interest Groups• Theories of Interest Group Politics• What Makes an Interest Group Successful• How Groups Try to Shape Policy• Types of Interest Groups• Understanding Interest Groups• Summary


Chapter Outline and Learning Objectives

• The Role of Interest Groups• LO 10.1: Describe the role of interest

groups in American politics.

• Theories of Interest Group Politics• LO 10.2: Compare and contrast the theories

of pluralism, elitism, and hyperpluralism.



• What Makes an Interest Group Successful• LO 10.3: Analyze the factors which make

some interest groups more successful than others in the political arena.

• How Groups Try to Shape Policy• LO 10.4: Assess the four basic strategies

which interest groups use to try to shape policy.



• Types of Interest Groups• LO 10.5: Identify the various types of

interest groups and their policy concerns.

• Understanding Interest Groups• LO 10.6: Evaluate how well Madison’s ideas

for controlling the influence of interest groups have worked in practice.

The Role of Interest GroupsLO 10.1: Describe the role of interest groups in American politics.

• Interest Group• An organization of people with shared

policy goals entering the policy process at several points to try to achieve those goals.

• Interest groups pursue their goals in many arenas.

• Encyclopedia of Associations – A list of 25,000 groups in 2009.

To Learning ObjectivesCopyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman


The Role of Interest Groups

• Interest groups are distinct from political parties.• Political parties fight election battles;

interest groups do not field candidates for office but may choose sides.

• Interest groups are policy specialists; political parties are policy generalists.

To Learning Objectives

LO 10.1

Theories of Interest Group PoliticsLO 10.2: Compare and contrast the theories of pluralism, elitism, and hyperpluralism.

• Pluralism• Elitism• Hyperpluralism



Theories of Interest Group Politics

• Pluralist Theory• Competition among groups trying to get

their preferred policies.

• Elite Theory• Upper-class elite holds most of the power

and run government.

• Hyperpluralist Theory• Groups are so strong that government is

weakened.To Learning Objectives

LO 10.2



• Pluralism• Groups provide a link between the people

and the government.• Groups compete and no one group will

become too dominant.• Groups play by “rules the game.”• Groups weak in one resource may use

another.• Lobbying is open to all groups.


LO 10.2



• Elitism• Groups are unequal in power.• Awesome power is held by the largest

corporations.• Power of a few is fortified by interlocking

directorates.• Other groups win minor policy battles, but

corporate elites win the big decisions.


LO 10.2


LO 10.2



• Hyperpluralism• Groups have become too powerful as

government tries to appease every conceivable interest.

• Interest group liberalism is aggravated by numerous iron triangles.

• Trying to please every group results in contradictory and confusing policy.


LO 10.2

What Makes an Interest Group SuccessfulLO 10.3: Analyze the factors which make some interest groups more successful than others in the political arena.

• The Surprising Ineffectiveness of Large Groups

• Intensity• Financial Resources



LO 10.3


What Makes an Interest Group Successful

• Surprising Ineffectiveness of Large Groups• Potential group – People who might be

group members because they share some common interest.

• Actual group – Potential group members who actually join group.

• Collective good – Something of value that cannot be withheld from a potential group member.


LO 10.3



• Surprising Ineffectiveness of Large Groups (cont.)• Free-rider problem – Problem of people

not joining because they can benefit from the group’s activities without joining.

• Selective benefits – Goods that a group can restrict to those who actually join.


LO 10.3



• Intensity• A large potential group may be mobilized

through an issue that people feel intensely about.

• Politicians are more likely to listen a group that shows it cares deeply about an issue.

• Single-issue groups – Narrow interest, dislike compromise, and members are new to politics.


LO 10.3



• Financial Resources• Not all groups have equal amounts of

money.• Monetary donations translate into access

to the politicians, such as a phone call, meeting, or support for policy.

• Wealthier groups have more resources and access but they do not always win on policy.


LO 10.3

How Groups Try to Shape PolicyLO 10.4: Assess the four basic strategies which interest groups use to try to shape policy.

• Lobbying• Electioneering• Litigation• Going Public



How Groups Try to Shape Policy

• Lobbying• Communication to a governmental decision

maker with the hope of influencing his or her decision.

• Lobbyists are (1) a source of information; (2) helping to get legislation passed; (3) helping to formulate campaign strategy; and (4) a source of ideas and innovations.


LO 10.4

LO 10.4




• Electioneering• Direct group involvement in the electoral

process by helping to fund campaigns, getting members to work for candidates, and forming political action committees (PACs).

• PACs are political funding vehicles created by the 1974 campaign finance reforms.


LO 10.4



• Litigation• Amicus curiae briefs – Written arguments

submitted to the courts in support of one side of a case.

• Class action lawsuits – Enable a group of people in a similar situation to combine their common grievances into a single suit.


LO 10.4



• Going Public• Groups try to (1) cultivate a good public

image; (2) build a reservoir of goodwill with the public; (3) use marketing strategies to influence public opinion of the group and its issues; and (4) advertise to motivate and inform the public about an issue.


LO 10.4


LO 10.4

Types of Interest GroupsLO 10.5: Identify the various types of interest groups and their policy concerns.

• Economic Interests• Environmental Interests• Equality Interests• Consumer and Other Public Interest

Lobbies



Types of Interest Groups

• Economic Interests• Labor – Union organizations press for

policies to ensure better working conditions and higher wages.

• Business – Interests generally are unified when it comes to promoting greater profits but are often fragmented when policy choices have to be made.


LO 10.5


LO 10.5



• Environmental Interests• Environmental groups promote policies to

control pollution, combat global warming, protect wilderness, and preserve species.

• They oppose supersonic aircraft, nuclear power plants, drilling in AK’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and strip mining.


LO 10.5


LO 10.5



• Equality Interests• Two sets of interest groups, representing

minorities and women, have made equal rights their main policy goal.

• Equality groups press for equality at the polls, in housing, on the job, in education, and in all other facets of American life.


LO 10.5


LO 10.5



• Consumer and Other Public Interest Lobbies• Public interest lobbies – Groups that

seek a collective good, the achievement of which will not selectively and materially benefit the membership or activists of the organization.


LO 10.5



• Consumer and Other Public Interest Lobbies (cont.)• Consumer groups – In 1973, Congress

responded to consumer advocacy by creating the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which it authorized to regulate all consumer products and to ban products that were dangerous.


LO 10.5

Understanding Interest GroupsLO 10.6: Evaluate how well Madison’s ideas for controlling the influence of interest groups have worked in practice.

• Interest Groups and Democracy• Interest Groups and the Scope of

Government



Understanding Interest Groups

• Interest Groups and Democracy• James Madison wanted a wide-open

system in which groups compete.• Pluralists – Public interest prevails from

this competition.• Elite theorists – Proliferation of business

PACs is evidence of interest group corruption.

• Hyperpluralists – Influence of groups lead to policy gridlock.


LO 10.6


Understanding Interest Groups

• Interest Groups and the Scope of Government• Interest groups seek to maintain policies

and programs that benefit them.• Interest groups pressure government to do

more things.• As the government does more, more

groups form to get more.


LO 10.6


LO 10.1Summary

• The Role of Interest Groups• Interest groups consist of groups that

participate in the political process in order to promote the policy goals which members share.

• They usually focus their efforts on one specific issue area, unlike political parties, which have to address all issues on the public agenda.



Interest groups are often policy .

A. specialists

B. generalists

C. regulators

D. implementors


LO 10.1


Interest groups are often policy .

A. specialists

B. generalists

C. regulators

D. implementors


LO 10.1


LO 10.2Summary

• Theories of Interest Group Politics• The theory of pluralism asserts that the

policymaking process is very open to the participation of all interest groups with no single group usually dominating.

• Pluralists tend to believe that as a result the public interest generally prevails.



LO 10.2Summary

• Theories of Interest Group Politics (cont.)• Elitism contends that an upper-class elite holds

the power and makes policy, regardless of the formal governmental organization.

• Hyperpluralism – So many groups are so strong that government is weakened and its ability to make effective policy is crippled.



Which of the following is NOT an element of the pluralist group theory of politics?

A. Groups provide a crucial link between people and government.

B. Groups usually follow the rules of the game.

C. Groups compete with each other.D. Groups become too dominant.

LO 10.2



Which of the following is NOT an element of the pluralist group theory of politics?

A. Groups provide a crucial link between people and government.

B. Groups usually follow the rules of the game.

C. Groups compete with each other.D. Groups become too dominant.

LO 10.2



LO 10.3Summary

• What Makes an Interest Group Successful• Groups that have large numbers of potential

members are usually less effective than groups that have a smaller potential membership, because it is easier to mobilize members of a smaller group, who have more incentive to participate.



LO 10.3Summary

• What Makes an Interest Group Successful (cont.)• Both large and small groups can benefit from

the intensity of their members’ beliefs.• Money always helps lubricate the wheels of

power, though it is hardly a surefire guarantee of success.



The more a group has, the more successful it tends to be.

A. intensity

B. financial resources

C. potential members

D. all of the above

LO 10.3



The more a group has, the more successful it tends to be.

A. intensity

B. financial resources

C. potential members

D. all of the above

LO 10.3



LO 10.4Summary

• How Groups Try to Shape Policy• Lobbying is one group strategy and lobbyists

are most effective with those legislators already sympathetic to their side.

• Electioneering becomes critical because it helps put supportive people in office.



LO 10.4Summary

• How Groups Try to Shape Policy (cont.)• Groups operate in the judicial as well as the

legislative process using litigation in the courts when lobbying fails or is not enough.

• Many groups project a good image employing public relations techniques to present themselves in the most favorable light.



Which of the following is NOT a tactic interest groups use?

A. Lobbying to influence policy.B. Forming political action committees to

influence elections.C. Fielding candidates for office in general

elections.D. Litigating to influence policy through the

courts.

LO 10.4



Which of the following is NOT a tactic interest groups use?

A. Lobbying to influence policy.B. Forming political action committees to

influence elections.C. Fielding candidates for office in general

elections.D. Litigating to influence policy through the

courts.

LO 10.4



LO 10.5Summary

• Types of Interest Groups• Economic interest groups involve business and

labor, with business focusing on governmental regulations and subsidies and labor focusing on policies to ensure good working conditions and wages.

• Environmental interests are global warming, pollution, wilderness protection, and endangered species.



LO 10.5Summary

• Types of Interest Groups (cont.)• Equality interest groups promote the fair

treatment of groups that have been discriminated against in the past such as African Americans and women.

• Public interest lobbies pursue policy objectives that they believe will benefit all citizens such as consumer protection laws.



Which of the following type of interest group tends to push for a collective good?

A. Consumer groups

B. Environmental groups

C. Equality groups

D. All of the above

LO 10.5



Which of the following type of interest group tends to push for a collective good?

A. Consumer groups

B. Environmental groups

C. Equality groups

D. All of the above

LO 10.5



LO 10.6Summary

• Understanding Interest Groups• The issue of controlling interest groups

remains as crucial to democracy today as it was in James Madison’s time.

• Some scholars (Pluralist Theory) believe that the growth of interest groups has worked to divide political influence just as Madison hoped it would.



LO 10.6Summary

• Understanding Interest Groups (cont.)• Critics of the Pluralist Theory (Elite Theory

and Hyperpluralist Theory) focus on the political action committee (PAC) system as the new way in which special interests corrupt American democracy as well as the problem of too many groups having too much power to block policy change.



Which theory of interest group politics best correlates with Madison’s ideas for controlling interest groups?

A. Hyperpluralist Theory

B. Elite Theory

C. Pluralist Theory

D. Class Theory

LO 10.6



Which theory of interest group politics best correlates with Madison’s ideas for controlling interest groups?

A. Hyperpluralist Theory

B. Elite Theory

C. Pluralist Theory

D. Class Theory

LO 10.6



Text Credits

• Quote from Americans Against Food Taxes ad used with permission.

• “The Power 25” from FORTUNE, May 28, 2001 Time Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission and protected by the Copyright Laws of the United States. The printing, copying, redistribution, or retransmission of the Material without express written permission is prohibited.

• “The Power 25” from FORTUNE, © May 28, 2001 Time Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission and protected by the Copyright Laws of the United States. The printing, copying, redistribution, or retransmission of the Material without express written permission is prohibited.

• Statistical Abstract of the United States, 2010, table 650, http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2010/tables/10s0650.pdf. Federal Election Commission.


Photo Credits

• 317: Getty Images

• 367: Jim Bourgman. Reprinted with special permission of King Feature Syndicate

• 336: Jeffrey Markowitz/Corbis



• 340: AP Photos

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