Chapter 12 Interest Groups

Question 1

special interest

Answer 1

a pejorative term often used to designate an interest group whose aims or issue preferences one does not like

Question 2

interest group

Answer 2

an organization whose goal is to influence government

Question 3

lobbyist

Answer 3

a person who contacts government officials on behalf of a particular cause or issue

Question 4

public interest lobbyist

Answer 4

a representative of an organization that seeks to benefit the population at large, not a specific client or small collection of people

Question 5

membership group

Answer 5

an interest group primarily organized around voluntary members; often a nonprofit or public advocacy organization

Question 6

material benefits

Answer 6

items distributed by public interest groups as incentives to sign up or remain a member

Question 7

expressive benefits

Answer 7

values or deeply held benefits that inspire individuals to join a public interest group

Question 8

solidarity benefits

Answer 8

the feeling of shared commitment and purpose experienced by individuals who join a public interest group

Question 9

pluralism

Answer 9

an open participatory style of government in which many different interests are represented

Question 10

demosclerosis

Answer 10

the collective effect of the sheer number of washington lobbyist in slowing the process of americzan democratic policymaking

Question 11

power elite theory

Answer 11

the view that a small handful of wealthy influential american exercises extensive control over government decisions

Question 12

advocacy explosion

Answer 12

a vast a relatively swift increase in interest groups active in washington DC beginning in the mid 1960’s

Question 13

lobbying coalition

Answer 13

a collection of lobbyists working on related topics or a specific legislative proposal

Question 14

issue campaign

Answer 14

a concerted effort by interest groups to arouse popular support or opposition for a policy issue

Question 15

astroturf lobbying

Answer 15

an attempt by interest groups to stimulate widespread public engagement on an issue

Question 16

single firm lobbyist

Answer 16

a lobbying professional employed by a specific company, like apple or exonmobil

Question 17

trade association

Answer 17

a lobbying group that represents a collection of related buisnesses (e.g. the american petroleum institute and oil and natural gas companies)

Question 18

independent lobbyists

Answer 18

sometimes called ‘‘hired guns’’ these individuals (usually seasoned lobbyists or former high-profile government staffers) are paid by several clients to promote their interests

Question 19

revolving door

Answer 19

the tendency of washingtons most seasoned lobbyists to move from government work (e.g. as a presidential advisor) to lobbying and back again

Question 20

intergovernmental lobbying

Answer 20

Attempts by public officials in one part of the government to influence their counterparts elsewhere in another branch or at a different state or local level

Question 21

reverse lobbying

Answer 21

attempts by government officials to influence interest groups on behalf of their preferred policies

Question 22

federal regulation of lobbying act

Answer 22

the initial US statute spelling out requirements on lobbyists active in congress, passed in 1946

Question 23

gift ban

Answer 23

a regulation that eliminates (or sharply reduces the permitted dollar amount of) gifts from interest groups to lawmakers