Chapter 11 Interest Groups

StudyBlue printing of Chapter 11 Interest Groups html, body, div, span, applet, object, iframe, h1, h2, h3, h4, h5, h6, p, blockquote, pre, a, abbr, acronym, address, big, cite, code, del, dfn, em, font, img, ins, kbd, q, s, samp, small, strike, strong, sub, sup, tt, var, b, u, i, center, fieldset, form, label, legend, table, caption, tbody, tfoot, thead, tr, th, td { margin: 0; padding: 0; border: 0; outline: 0; font-size: 100%; background: transparent; } body { line-height: 1; } blockquote, q { quotes: none; } blockquote:before, blockquote:after, q:before, q:after { content: ''; content: none; } /* remember to define focus styles! */ :focus { outline: 0; } /* remember to highlight inserts somehow! */ ins { text-decoration: none; } del { text-decoration: line-through; } /* tables still need 'cellspacing="0"' in the markup */ table { border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0; } /* end RESET */ .header { min-width:800px; } .logo { padding:6px 20px 2px 20px; margin:0; font-size:25px; font-weight:bold; color:#808285; position:relative; border-bottom: 1px solid #c5c5c5; } .logo-blue { color:#70adc4; } .logo-desc { font-weight:normal; font-size:19px; color:#cccccc; margin-top:50px; position:absolute; display: none; } .back-button { position:absolute; top:20px; right:20px; font-size:13px; line-height:25px; color:rgb(0,175,225); font-weight:normal; } .back-button a { color:rgb(0,175,225); } .instructions { padding:0; margin:0; width:100%; position:relative; color:rgb(100,100,100); } .step-holder { border-left:1px solid #ededed; margin-left:20px; } .steps { padding:15px 0; float:left; width:24%; border-right:1px solid #ededed; text-align:center; } .steps-01 { } .steps-02 { } .steps-03 { } .steps-04 { } .label { padding:5px 10px; } .print-button { } .print-button a { background-color:rgb(0,175,225); color:white; line-height: 19px; padding:9px 8px 5px 30px; font-size:14px; text-decoration:none; background-image: url(images/printer.png); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-position: 7px 50%; -moz-border-radius: 5px; -webkit-border-radius: 5px; } .print-button a:hover { background-color:black; } .theNote .content { width: 8.0in !important; margin: 5px auto; padding:20px; background-color:white; } .theNote .header { border-bottom: 1px dashed #C8C8C8; font-size: 17px; padding: 0 0 10px; line-height: 19px; color: #00ADE1; min-width:500px; } .theNote .body { font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; padding: 10px 0; } .theNote{ padding:6px 0; clear:both; background-color: rgb(200,200,200); } .theNote h3{ color: rgb(100,100,100); } .theNote h1, .theNote h3{ background-color:white; padding:2px 20px; width:8.0in !important; margin: 0 auto; font-size: 15px; } .theNote h1{ padding-top: 10px; font-size: 15px; } .theNote h1:first-child{ font-size: 20px; } .theNote h3 { font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; } #options { border: 3px double #ccc; padding: 5px 12px; margin: 10px 50px 10px 20px; float: left; } #info { border-top: 1px solid #ccc; padding-top: 5px; font-style: italic; } li { margin: 5px 10px 5px 25px; } ul li { list-style: disc; } ol li { list-style: decimal; } img { border: 0; } table { clear: both; width: 100%; border: 1px solid #c5c5c5; border-width: 1px 0; margin: 0; page-break-after: always; } table#page { page-break-after: auto; } td { text-align: center; font-size: 12px; border-bottom: 1px dashed #c5c5c5; height: 1.75in; width: 50%; padding-left: 15px; } .leftside { border-right: 1px solid #cccccc; padding: 0 15px 0 0; } .bottom td { border-bottom: none; } .clearfix { clear:both; line-height:1px; height:1px; } img { max-width:80%; max-height:150px; margin:20px; } @media print {.header { display: none; } .content .header{ display:inherit; } table { border: 1px dashed #bbb; border-width: 1px 0; } .theNote{ background-color:white; } } Chapter 11 Interest Groups CHAPTER 11 INTEREST GROUPS CHAPTER OUTLINE I. Introduction (pp. 331–332) A. The worst and oldest stereotype of a lobbyist is of someone who bribes a lawmaker. B. An incredible array of interest make their voices heard in Washington. C. Although turnout in elections has declined since 1960, participation in interest groups has mushroomed. II. The Role of Interest Groups (p. 333) A. An interest group is an organization of people with similar policy goals who enter the political process to try to achieve those aims. B. Interest groups are often policy specialists, whereas parties are policy generalists. III. Theories of Interest Group Politics (pp. 333–336) A. Pluralism and Group Theory 1. Pluralist theory argues that interest group activity brings representation to all. 2. The group theory of politics contains several arguments. a. Groups provide a key link between people and government. b. Groups compete. c. No one group is likely to become too dominant. d. Groups usually play by the "rules of the game." e. Groups weak in one resource can use another. B. Elites and the Denial of Pluralism 1. Elite theory argues that a few groups, primarily the wealthy, have most of the power. 2. Groups are extremely unequal in power. 3. Awesome power is controlled by the largest corporations. 4. The power of a few is fortified by a system of interlocking directorates. 5. Corporate elites prevail when it comes to the big decisions. C. Hyperpluralism and Interest Group Liberalism 1. Hyperpluralist theory asserts that too many groups are getting too much of what they want, resulting in a government policy that is often contradictory and lacking in direction. 2. The phrase "interest group liberalism" refers to government's excessive deference to groups. a. Groups have become too powerful in the political process as government tries to aid every conceivable interest. b. Interest group liberalism is aggravated by numerous subgovernments. c. Trying to please every group results in contradictory and confusing policy. IV. What Makes an Interest Group Successful? (pp. 336–341) A. The Surprising Ineffectiveness of Large Groups 1. A potential group is composed of all people who might be group members because they share some common interest. 2. An actual group is composed of those in the potential group who choose to join. 3. A collective good is something of value that cannot be withheld from a potential group member. 4. The free-rider problem occurs when members of the potential group share in benefits that members of the actual group work to secure. 5. Olson's law of large groups states that the larger the group, the further it will fall short of providing an optimal amount of a collective good. 6. Selective benefits are goods that a group can restrict to those who pay their yearly dues. B. Intensity 1. Intensity is a psychological advantage that can be enjoyed by small and large groups alike. 2. A single-issue group is a group that has a narrow interest, dislikes compromise, and single-mindedly pursues its goal. C. Financial Resources V. The Interest Group Explosion (pp. 341–342) A. The number of interest groups in the United States has been increasingly rapidly over the past several decades. B. Technology has contributed to the growth in the number of interest groups. VI. How Groups Try To Shape Policy (pp. 342–348) A. Lobbying 1. Lobbying is a communication, by someone other than a citizen acting on his or her own behalf, directed to a governmental decision-maker with the hope of influencing his or her decision. 2. Lobbyists can help a member of Congress. They are an important source of information. They can help politicians with political strategy. They can help formulate campaign strategy. They are a source of ideas and innovations. B. Electioneering 1. Electioneering consists of aiding candidates financially and getting group members out to support them. 2. Political Action Committees (PACs) provide a means for groups to participate in electioneering. C. Litigation 1. Amicus curiae briefs consist of written arguments submitted to the courts in support of one side of a case. 2. Class action lawsuits enable a group of similarly situated plaintiffs to combine similar grievances into a single suit. D. Going Public 1. Interest groups appeal to the public for support. VII. Types of Interest Groups (pp. 348–355) A. Economic Interests 1. Labor a. The union shop requires new employees to join the union representing them. b. Right-to-work laws outlaw union membership as a condition of employment. 2. Business B. Environmental Interests C. Equality Interests D. Consumers and Public Interest Lobbies 1. Public interest lobbies are organizations that seek a collective good. 2. The consumer movement was spurred by the efforts of Ralph Nader. VIII. Understanding Interest Groups (pp. 355–356) A. Interest Groups and Democracy B. Interest Groups and the Scope of Government IX. Summary (p. 357)