An interest group is a formally organized association that seeks to influence public policy.
Interest groups include diverse organizations such as corporations, labor unions, and civil rights groups that reflect the spectrum of interests that make up our pluralistic society.
Better educated and wealthier Americans are more active in interest group politics.
THE ROOTS OF INTEREST GROUP POLITICS IN THE UNITED STATES
By the early 1800s, voluntary associations were well established in the United States.
Economic change and advances in transportation brought rapid growth in the number of voluntary and political organizations in the mid-1800s.
Labor unions and other voluntary associations supporting workers appeared in the late 1800s.
The New Deal spawned hundreds of interest groups with a stake in federal policies.
The civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s led to an explosion in Washington-based advocacy groups.
Advocacy groups protect individuals and their rights but have contributed to a more passive role for citizens.
WHOSE INTERESTS ARE REPRESENTED?
The largest interest group is composed of trade associations, particularly business interests.
Professional associations, labor unions, and education groups also maintain a strong presence in Washington.
Virtually every nation in the world maintains a Washington office to oversee its relations with U.S. leaders.
Over 40 percent of all Washington lobbyists represent business interests.
Many interests at the bottom of the economic spectrum enjoy minimal or no representation at all.
WHY JOIN?
Interest groups employ various incentives to sustain membership and commitment.
Incentives include: material benefits; solidarity (building friendships and networking opportunities); and the individual satisfaction of working to make change.
Contrary to rational choice theory, interest group leaders rank material benefits to be the least important incentives.
Leaders of all kinds of groups rank purposive incentives highest, with solidarity incentives close behind.
INTEREST GROUP STRATEGIES
A strategy is a group's overall plan; the specific actions it undertakes are tactics.
Inside strategies emphasize direct personal encounters with public officials.
Outside strategies are activities that show popular support for a cause and indirectly create public pressure on elected officials.
Resources useful in advancing a group's cause include money, numbers, prestige, and leadership.
LOBBYING AND OTHER TACTICS
Lobbying is increasingly the province of permanent and salaried professionals.
Former government workers are well suited to be lobbyists.
- They have specialized knowledge in a policy area.
- The have a thorough knowledge of the political process.
Former lawmakers and staffers often join firms that lobbied them when they were in government.
Members of Congress value lobbyists because of the resources they provide, like electoral support in the form of campaign contributions and information.
Opportunities for lobbying Congress have increased in recent years due to rule changes that make individual members more important.
The expansion of the federal bureaucracy greatly increased lobbying aimed at cabinet departments and executive agencies.
Small groups of experts called issue networks may dominate policy creation and implementation.
Congress has passed several laws regulating lobbying activity, including a ban on accepting gifts, meals, or trips from lobbyists.
Congress has attempted to regulate campaign financing and political contributions by individuals, political parties, and political action committees.
Interest groups often form tax-exempt organizations, or 527 groups, to engage in various political activities.
Some interest groups initiate litigation as a tactic to advance their goals.
- Litigation is expensive, so groups with abundant financial resources are most likely to undertake it.
- Most of the recent important Supreme Court cases have been test cases brought by organized interests in an attempt to set new precedents.
Grassroots mobilization involves organizing citizens to exert direct pressure on public officials for or against a policy.
Mobilizing the grass tops involves setting up meetings between high-profile constituents and members of Congress.
Astroturf lobbying involves using deceptive practices and lack of transparency to manufacture grassroots support for an issue.
Organized groups may form coalitions to expand access to resources and information, increase their visibility, and enlarge the scope of their influence.
Protests, which have always been a part of U.S. politics, are the ultimate form of grassroots activity.
- Protest usually accompanies issues that are highly charged emotionally.
- Protest is a common tactic among those with few resources and little direct access to power.
