Chapter 10: Interest Groups

Question 1

interest group

Answer 1

an organization of people who share common political interests and aim to influence public policy by electioneering and lobbying

Question 2

three types of interest groups

Answer 2

economic group
citizen group
single-issue group

Question 3

economic group

Answer 3

• seeks public policies that provide monetary benefits to its members
• trade association & labor organization
• pickle packers international, MLBPA

Question 4

trade association

Answer 4

composed of companies in the same business or industry (same “trade”) that lobbies for policies that benefit members of the group (controls lots of jobs)

Question 5

labor organization

Answer 5

organized association of workers, often in trade or profession, formed to protect & further their rights & interests

Question 6

citizen group

Answer 6

• seeks changes in spending, regulations, or government programs concerning a wide range of policies (public interest group)
• Sierra Club

Question 7

single-issue group

Answer 7

• has a narrowly focused goal, seeking change of a single topic, gov. program, or piece of legislation
• NRA, NCAA, Bass Pro Organization

Question 8

mass associations

Answer 8

have a large # of dues-paying individuals as members

Question 9

peak associations

Answer 9

members are business or other organizations rather than individuals

Question 10

prisoner’s dilemma

Answer 10

in order to survive, interest groups need to find ways to remove temptation to free ride:

• solidary benefits
• purposive benefits
• selective incentives
• coercion

Question 11

solidary benefits

Answer 11

satisfaction derived form the experience of working w/ like-minded people, even if the group’s efforts do not achieve the desired impact

Question 12

purposive benefits

Answer 12

satisfaction derived from the experience of working toward a desired policy goal, even if the goal is not achieved

Question 13

selective incentives

Answer 13

benefits that can motivate participation in a group effort bc they are available only to those who participate, such as member services offered by interest groups

Question 14

coercion

Answer 14

method of eliminating non-participation of free-riding by potential grow members by requiring participation, as in many labor unions

Question 15

inside strategies

Answer 15

tactics employed w/in DC by interest groups seeking to achieve their policy goals

• direct obeying
• drafting legislation (important)
• research
• testimony
• litigation

Question 16

outside strategies

Answer 16

tactics employed outside DC

• grassroots lobbying
• mobilizing public opinion
• electioneering
• cultivating media contacts
• initiatives and referenda
• astroturf lobbying

Question 17

direct lobbying

Answer 17

attempts by interest group staff to influence policy by speaking w/ elected officials or bureaucrats

Question 18

grassroots lobbying

Answer 18

relies on participation by group members, such as a protest or a letter-writing campaign

Question 19

electioneering

Answer 19

influence who gets elected, but does not necessarily affect gov actions

Question 20

astroturf lobbying

Answer 20

designed to look like the spontaneous, independent participation of many individuals

Question 21

interest groups get involved in elections by:

Answer 21

• making contributions to candidates
• mobilizing people (including their staff) to help in a campaign
• endorsing candidates
• funding campaign ads
• mobilizing a candidate’s or party’s supporters

Question 22

Baumgartner & Leech

Answer 22

maze of contradictions:

-no correlation between the amount of money spent on lobbying and a group’s success at achieving goals

Question 23

salience

Answer 23

level of familiarity w/ an interest group’s goals among the general population

Question 24

conflict

Answer 24

extent to which other groups or the public opposes a group’s interests

Question 25

interest groups are most influential when…

Answer 25

low salience and non-conflictual

Question 26

Hall & Wayman

Answer 26

money doesn’t buy votes, but it buys he marginal time, energy, and legislative resources that committee participation requires