5.3 Interest groups in the USA Flashcards
What are interest groups?
Cover a multitude of different organisations in the US - they are non-elected groups, with their own interest or cause, that try to influence govt policy
3 types of interest groups
Policy groups
Professional groups
Single-interest groups
Policy group
Group that attempts to influence a whole policy area (such as the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC)
Professional group
Group that represents the economic interests of its members (such as the American Medical Association)
Single-interest group
Group that advocates policy surrounding a limited, specific issue (such as the NRA)
Why are interest groups highly influential in US politics?
Partly because of the specific constitutional and political arrangements of the US - arguably allow them to have more influence than in any other country
Most groups can exert influence somewhere within the political system - significant impact on policy-making
What are the main reasons for interest groups are so significant?
1) Elections are numerous and frequent
2) There are many access points
3) Politicians are open to persuasion
4) Groups’ rights are protected
These suggest that power is inevitably shared in the US system - interest groups part of a pluralist system in which policy is made as a result of compromise of different interests.
Why does the frequency of elections show the significance of pressure groups?
- Interest group money important in elections (increasingly since Citizens United v FEC)
- Gives strong opportunity for groups to exploit this - influence electoral outcomes
- Congresspersons and 1/3 of Senators elected every 2 years
- Huge range of elected offices
What is the significance of interest group access points?
- Caused by separation of powers and federalism creates many centres of power
- US has lots of access points or centres of power which groups can influence
- Groups can choose a receptive institution
- Failure w/ one doesn’t mean failure overall
Why are politicians open to persuasion by pressure groups?
- Parties and/or party leaders = weak - find it hard to control politicians in their party
- Groups try to expose/utilise this
- Individuals in Congress can and do vote against party line - individual voting record in Congress is important in elections
How interest groups’ rights protected?
- 1st amendment - freedom of expression and association
- Some groups have aims enshrined in Constitution
- US has a strong level of rights protection due to an entrenched, sovereign constitution - protects rights even for extremists
- Supreme Court - can provide longer-term success for an interest group relatively cheaply
What are the main resources of interest groups?
1) Membership
2) Money
3) Contacts
4) Expertise
What influence does the membership of an interest group have?
- Active membership can undertake grassroots lobbying to influence their members of Congress to support or oppose certain measures
- Large groups - can create electoral threat to individual politicians - members used at election time to contact potential voters to affect outcomes
- Often target swing constituencies
How does money influence interest group success?
- Strong financial resources - allow interest groups to run more effective publicity campaigns
- Many spend huge amounts of money on lobbying - expensive in US
- Groups also donate money to political campaigns
How do contacts of interest groups have significance?
- Interest groups try to maximise political contracts - often employ lobbyists who are former politicians or advisers)
- Policy network develops - at least some groups have high levels of influence
