14: Interest Groups Flashcards
Which best describes interest groups in the early to mid-1800s?
Most interest groups were based around civil rights of women and often took on unconventional forms of protest.
They were mostly single-issue groups, seated in Christian revivalism, or focused on business interests.
They focused largely on transportation issues, especially the creation of a system of national highways and interstates.
They were largely anti-religion and focused efforts on the rights of industrial laborers.
They were mostly single-issue groups, seated in Christian revivalism, or focused on business interests.
How did James Madison propose to overcome the problem of factions?
By banning the formation of interest groups
By adopting a system of direct democracy
By discouraging citizens from expressing their political views in public
By allowing groups to participate in the political process
By allowing groups to participate in the political process
Which of the following groups lobbies on behalf of business interests?
The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP)
The Chamber of Commerce
The National Rifle Association
The National Education Association
The Chamber of Commerce
An appeal to membership in an interest group based on passion or purpose would be most appropriate for a(n) ______ interest group or organization.
religious or ideological
trade
business
professional
religious or ideological
A leader of the National Rifle Association (NRA) would be very unlikely to propose a policy position of highly restricted gun control because _______.
the strength of single-issue groups is the intensity of members’ beliefs, which are shared by their leaders
very few interest groups are governed democratically, but the NRA is and such a proposal would never pass
members may drop out if they disagree with leadership or do not like the direction the organization is taking
NRA members enjoy an unusual amount of influence on the organization’s leadership and policy decisions
the strength of single-issue groups is the intensity of members’ beliefs, which are shared by their leaders
One reason for the rise of public interest groups in the 1960s and 1970s was __________.
Americans’ growing cynicism about government during the Vietnam War
the decline in political parties
technological developments that made interest group activities easier
the lifting of legal restrictions on lobbying activities
Americans’ growing cynicism about government during the Vietnam War
The __________ problem occurs when people fail to join a group because they can get the benefits the group offers without contributing to the group’s efforts.
hyperpluralist
free rider
pluralist
collective good
free rider
Which Constitutional provision guarantees the right of interest groups to organize?
Second Amendment
The majority faction clause
First Amendment
Preamble
First Amendment
The Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United v. FEC created the possibility for unlimited spending in elections by __________.
individual donors
corporations
political parties
foreign contributors
corporations
How are interest groups most likely to attempt to influence court decisions?
Using money from political action committees to try to shape public opinion on the issue
Lavishing expensive gifts on judges
Urging Congress to change court jurisdictions
Filing amicus curiae briefs arguing in favor of a particular outcome
Filing amicus curiae briefs arguing in favor of a particular outcome
Which is an interest group least likely to do?
Influence how policies are implemented
Support candidates running for elections
Influence the legislative process
Run candidates in elections
Run candidates in elections
The __________ effort occurs at the end of the campaign and is an attempt to get the candidate’s supporters to the polls on Election Day.
direct mail
inoculation advertising
wooing the undecided
get-out-the-vote
get-out-the-vote
Which is the most telling indicator of whether or not an individual is likely to join and participate in an interest group?
Religious affiliation
Party affiliation
Level of wealth
Geographic location
Level of wealth
Which interest group is a good example of the modern trend of fewer members physically attending events, but thousands or tens of thousands participating in social media such as Twitter or Facebook?
Occupy Wall Street
Children’s Defense Fund
Liberty University Coalition
EMILY’s List
Occupy Wall Street
Why has the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) been so successful at attracting large numbers of Americans to join?
Some states require all people older than the age of 65 to have a valid AARP membership.
AARP offers its members popular benefits such as consumer discounts and other services.
AARP’s political action committee is one of the wealthiest in the United States.
AARP has the support of wealthy benefactors who help fund their organization.
AARP offers its members popular benefits such as consumer discounts and other services.
Which best describes the ability of watchdog groups to monitor lobbying activities?
Due to a 1995 lobbying disclosure law, it is now easier to monitor lobbying activities.
A 2007 law reduced disclosure requirements, making it more difficult to monitor lobbying activities.
It is difficult to monitor congressional lobbying, which has no disclosure requirements.
It is difficult to monitor executive branch lobbying, which has no disclosure requirements.
Due to a 1995 lobbying disclosure law, it is now easier to monitor lobbying activities.
Which of the following is an example of lobbying?
Fundraising for a cause by selling small goods or services
Trying to influence government officials to support a particular policy decision
Protesting government policy decisions by having a sit-in at a college
Expressing indignation at changes in policy by blogging about the issue
Trying to influence government officials to support a particular policy decision
How did the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 affect lobbyists?
It limited the number of hours each lobbyist could work during a single session of Congress.
It required all organizations and firms to register their employees as lobbyists if they worked with government contracts.
It set limits on how many lobbyists could be employed by a political action committee (PAC).
It required lobbyists to file a report regarding each of their clients, including how much money they were paid by them for lobbying services.
It required lobbyists to file a report regarding each of their clients, including how much money they were paid by them for lobbying services.
Something of value that cannot be withheld from a nonmember of a group, for example, a tax write-off or a better environment.
collective good
Founded in 1867 as an educational organization for farmers, The Grange evolved into the first truly national interest group by working to protect the political and economic concerns of farming communities and rural areas.
The Grange
A conservative religious interest group credited with helping to mobilize conservative Evangelical Christian voters from its founding in 1978 through the presidency of Ronald Reagan (1981-1989).
Moral Majority
The theory that interest groups form as a result of changes in the political system.
disturbance theory
Founded in 1886, the AFL brought skilled workers from several trades together into one stronger national organization for the first time. It merged in 1955 with the Congress of Industrial Organizations to form the AFL-CIO.
American Federation of Labor (AFL)
A major interest group, founded in 1835, to advocate for the abolition of the institution of slavery throughout the United States.
American Anti-Slavery Society
Lobbying reform banning gifts to members of Congress and their staffs, toughening disclosure requirements, and increasing time limits on moving from the federal government to the private sector.
Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007
A broad group of political and social activists from the 1890s to the 1920s who opposed corruption in government, supported regulation of monopolies, and sought improvement of socioeconomic conditions.
Progressive movement
The tendency to form small-scale associations for the public good.
civic virtue
A 1995 federal law that employed a strict definition of lobbyist and established strict reporting requirements on the activities of lobbyists.
Lobbying Disclosure Act
A major pro-business lobbying group founded in 1912.
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
A group that represents a specific industry.
trade association
The activities of a group or organization that seek to persuade political leaders to support the group’s position.
lobbying
A Southern Baptist minister who, in 1978, founded the conservative religious interest group The Moral Majority.
Jerry Falwell
The theory that political power is distributed among a wide array of diverse and competing interest groups.
pluralist theory
Cooperative relationships that facilitate the resolution of collective problems.
social capital
A person who finances a group or individual activity.
patron
An organization that seeks a collective good that if achieved will not selectively and materially benefit group members.
public interest group
A lawyer who in 1973 founded the Children’s Defense Fund to protect the rights of children, particularly those who are members of disadvantaged groups.
Marian Wright Edelman
A large labor union founded in 1955 by the merging of the American Federation of Labor (AFL) and its one-time rival the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO).
AFL-CIO
A group with the primary purpose of promoting the financial interests of its members.
economic interest group
A religious interest group founded in 1989 to advance conservative Christian principles and traditional values in American politics.
Christian Coalition
The major gun-rights lobbying group in the United States, which opposes gun control and advances an expansive interpretation of the Second Amendment.
National Rifle Association (NRA)
A collection of people or organizations that tries to influence public policy.
interest group
Officially recognized fund-raising organization that represents interest groups and is allowed by federal law to make contributions directly to candidates’ campaigns.
political action committee (PAC)
A Southern Baptist minister and television evangelist who ran for president in 1988 and in 1989 founded the conservative religious interest group The Christian Coalition.
Pat Robertson
An organization founded in 1895 by manufacturers to combat the growth of organized labor.
National Association of Manufacturers (NAM)
A public interest group created in 1874 with the goal of outlawing the sale of liquor. Its activities included prayer groups, protest marches, lobbying, and the destruction of saloons.
Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU)
Potential members fail to join a group because they can get the benefit, or collective good, sought by the group without contributing the effort.
free rider problem
Interest group representative who seeks to influence legislation that will benefit his or her organization or client through political and/or financial persuasion.
lobbyist
The theory that public policies are the result of narrowly defined exchanges or transactions among political actors.
transactions theory
Why might a U.S. citizen join an interest group rather than simply exercising his or her right to vote?
Interest groups twist research in order to get the support of the public.
Interest groups offer further means of political participation.
Interest groups campaign privately to earn the support of officials rather than trying to spread information about a little-known issue.
Interest groups represent the interests of their members rather than the interests of the general populace.
Interest groups offer further means of political participation.
Which of the following would be considered a single-issue interest group?
National Organization for Women (NOW)
American Medical Association (AMA)
Christian Coalition
National Rifle Association (NRA)
National Rifle Association (NRA)
Which of the following can legally raise money from individuals and then distribute it in the form of direct contributions to political candidates?
Interest groups
Political action committees (PACs)
Labor unions
Corporations
Political action committees (PACs)
Why might a group that lobbies for an end to gender discrimination see more free rider members than other types of group?
Women are less likely than men to join interest groups.
Other people try to take credit for the group’s accomplishment.
Reducing gender discrimination is a collective good.
Many people do not know that they have to pay dues to the group.
Reducing gender discrimination is a collective good.
Which theory argues that political power is widely distributed among diverse interest groups?
Transaction theory
Truman theory
Pluralist theory
Olson theory
Pluralist theory
Which best describes the relationship between interest groups and their members?
Interest groups prevent the group members from gaining access to benefits.
Interest groups represent the interests of members to policy makers.
Interest groups provide high levels of influence or electoral clout in Congress.
Interest groups provide financial support to members.
Interest groups represent the interests of members to policy makers.
In which time period did the U.S. see an uptick in the rise of public interest groups, due in part to the progressive spirit of the time?
1960s and 1970s
1930s and 1940s
1830s through early 1900s
2000s and 2010s
1960s and 1970s
Which is the most likely way in which pluralism enhances democracy?
By discouraging compromise
By streamlining the legislative process
By ensuring that all interests are represented
By allowing policymakers to operate under conditions of full information
By ensuring that all interests are represented
What distinguishes political parties from interest groups?
Political parties run candidates for office; interest groups do not.
Political parties lobby all branches of government, while interest groups are limited to congressional lobbying.
Political parties are restricted in how they receive and use their funding; interest groups have no such limits.
Political parties are formed by elected officials, while interest groups are formed by citizens.
Political parties run candidates for office; interest groups do not.
What region of the United States has the lowest rate of union membership?
the northeast
the west
the south
the midwest
the south
What might a large potential group do to overcome the free-rider problem?
Give selective benefits only to group members
Give campaign contributions to elected officials
Give bonuses to the most effective lobbyists
Give gifts to members of Congress in return for their support on legislation
Give selective benefits only to group members
How do lobbyists typically seek to influence members of Congress?
By advocating on the collective special interests of various groups
By introducing bills
By offering them money to vote a particular way
By filing amicus curiae briefs
By advocating on the collective special interests of various groups
What restriction did the Ethics in Government Act place on members of the executive branch?
They are prohibited from receiving any gifts from lobbyists.
They are permanently barred from lobbying after they leave government service.
They must disclose any gifts received from lobbyists.
They cannot serve as lobbyists before their agencies for two years after leaving government service.
They cannot serve as lobbyists before their agencies for two years after leaving government service.
Which is an argument against interest groups?
They do not represent people equally.
They harm special interests.
They are not part of the political process.
They are ineffective.
They do not represent people equally.
Which is most likely true of single-issue interest groups?
They are smaller than other types of interest groups.
They are more cohesive than other types of interest groups.
They are more racially diverse than other types of interest groups.
They are larger than other types of interest groups.
They are more cohesive than other types of interest groups.
