Interest Groups

1. The Nature of Interest Groups
How private organizations influence
public officials

2. What is an Interest Group?
• Private Organization that tries to persuade
public officials.
• One of the most effective ways by which
Americans try to get govt. to respond to
their needs
• American society is pluralistic
– many different interests groups that compete for and
share in political power.

3. Parties v. Interest Groups
• Parties, unlike interest groups, nominate
candidates for office.
• While parties are chiefly concerned with
winning elections, interest groups are chiefly
concerned with influencing policy
• Parties concern themselves with the full
range of policy issues
• interest groups want to influence only those
policies that directly affect their members.

4. Are Interest Groups Good or
Bad?
Views and functions of Interest
Groups

5. Early Views
• 1. Madison warned against interest groups or
“factions”
– Thought that factions would work against one
another
• 2. Tocqueville (Frenchman) was impressed by
the numerous organizations that he found in
America
– Wrote that these associations were successful

6. Functions of Interest Groups
• Help stimulate interest in public affairs
• Members share attitudes, not geography
• Provide detailed information to government
– Employment, prices of goods/real-estate etc.
• Vehicles for political participation
• Add to the “checks and balances” of government
• Regularly compete against one another in the
political arena

7. Criticisms
• 1. influence far outside their size
• 2. hard to tell who or how many people the
Interest group represents
• 3. many groups don’t truly represent the
views of all their members
• 4. some use tactics that undermine the
political system
– Bribery, threats, etc

9. Types of Interest Groups
The Alphabet of Interest
groups

10. An American Tradition
• Thousands upon thousands of interest groups
• Largest are found on basis of economics
• Some born out of a causes
– Abortion
– Gun rights
– Environmental protection
• Many belong to numerous interest groups
• Many belong to groups that may contradict
other groups they belong to

11. Groups Based on Economic Interests
• Business Groups- Hundreds of Business and trade
groups cooperate and compete to influence
policy.
• Labor Groups- Labor unions exercise considerable
power in government, but sometimes disagree on
policy matters.
• Agricultural Groups- Farm groups work to protect
the dwindling number of American farmers.
• Professional Groups- Such as the AMA (doctors),
the ABA (lawyers), and the NEA (teachers)
promote the interests of the professions they
represent.

12. Other Groups
• Promote Causes-promote an endless variety of
causes, from civil liberties to temperance.
• Promote the Welfare of Certain Groups-promote
the interests of groups, such as older Americans,
veterans, or African Americans.
• Religious Organizations- Various religious groups
work to influence government policy.
• Public-Interest Groups-promote policies that will
benefit the American people as a whole
– League of Women Voters and Common Cause
•

13. Interest Groups at work
How interest groups do
their jobs

14. Public Opinion
• most significant long-term force in
American politics
• Interest groups supply the public with
information, try to portray a positive
image, and promote a particular public
policy.

15. Propaganda
• Interest groups use propaganda-techniques
of persuasion-to influence
public opinion.
• Mass media encourages the use of
propaganda

16. 7 Propaganda Techniques
• 1. Plain folks: pretend to be a part of
the ‘common’ people
• 2. Bandwagon: Follow the crowd, be
with the majority
• 3. Name calling: Do not discuss facts,
just give opposition a bad name

17. • 4. Glittering generalities: Broad and
vague statements, “In the interest of
Peace and Prosperity…”
• 5. Transfer: Use symbols to
accomplish purposes which they
were not intended.
–“Uncle Sam”

18. • 6. Testimonial: Endorsements by a
celebrity
• 7. Card Stacking: Present only one
side of the story so that the
information seems to be what it is
not

19. Lobbying
• The work of the Lobbyist
–Lobbyist try to influence legislation
–presenting expert testimony, using the
mass media, and mounting grass-roots
campaigns
• shape the ways that legislation is
interpreted and enforced (once
passed)

20. • Lobby Regulation
–Though most lobbying is aboveboard,
abuses such as false testimony and
bribery still exist.
–Congress tries to reduce unethical
practices
• requiring lobbyists to register, but this
law is difficult to enforce