Exam 4 Flashcards
interest groups
Groups of citizens with shared interests
Theory of collective action
-groups overcome collective action problems by providing benefits
selective incentives
benefits only members of a group receive
moral incentives
- personal satisfaction from feeling like you contribute to a cause
- form of self-expression
policy feedback
the idea that policy makes politics
Policies (the outputs of government)
-give different groups benefits or burdens
- limit a sense of shared group interest
Policy Characteristics that influence feedback
-size, duration of benefits
-how visible is the program?
Target populations
groups affected by a policy
Policies typically specify the target population by
-specifying the policy’s goals
-eligibility
-the different policy tools used
Social Security
-gives them money and time to get involved in politics
-gives them a shared group interest based on receiving these
benefits
-sends clear messages that they deserve benets
-sends clear messages this is a government benefit
Student loans
-meant to be temporary, not rest of their lives
-eligible recipients have to initiate contact with govt.
-money is paid back, with interest
-administered by private companies; not dealing directly w/ govt.
pluralist society
-Different groups compete for resources
-no one group wins over the others
The pluralist counter-argument: no one group dominates across all of
American govt.
-coal companies aren’t influenced over media regulation
-Apple isn’t really influenced over agriculture policy
iron triangles
congressional committee,
bureaucratic agency,
interest groups
subsystems
-often multiple agencies, committees, interest groups on a particular issue
lobbying
appeals from citizens for favorable policies
Lobbying is (mostly) about three things:
-access to key policymakers
-providing information
-blocking action
Access
it doesn’t do the group you represent any good if no one
will meet with you or listen to what you have to say
revolving door
when people go from govt. to
lobbying and back
Information
policymakers have access to lots of information, but
they need to know what to prioritize
policy (what your book calls technical) info
what will happen
if this policy passes?
political
what other groups and policymakers support or
oppose a policy?
Blocking action
the prospect of govt. action,
attracts more lobbying activity
Why do groups spend so much money on lobbying to prevent
something from happening, if it may not happen anyway?
Insurance
-govt. spends a lot of money, stakes are high
The Federalist didn’t really discuss political parties
Madison, et al. saw institutions as the problem with the Articles
of Confederation