INTEREST GROUPS - significance and types Flashcards
SIGNIFICANT TO US SOCIETY?
Why we shouldn’t confuse significance and impact?
The final Senate vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh was interrupted by a disturbance from the Senate gallery.
A female protester shouted ‘I do not consent; I do not consent. Where is my representation?’.
Regardless, the vote resumed, and Kavanaugh was confirmed – this was a significant protest, and had great impact, but yielded minute influence.
SIGNIFICANT TO US SOCIETY?
Parties are weak
Parties are weak and fractious, which allows interest groups greater access by targeting factions within parties. Party weakness means that party policy can be more flexible and responsive to pressure group influence.
SIGNIFICANT TO US SOCIETY?
Increasing political apathy
Increasing political apathy towards the main parties and increasing votes for third parties signify a shift to issue-based voting. Consequently, interest groups have an increased membership and significance.
SIGNIFICANT TO US SOCIETY?
Frequent election cycles
Frequent election cycles give groups influence, particularly since Citizens United V FEC 2010 – groups are now able to use Super PACs and campaign donations to gain influence.
SIGNIFICANT TO US SOCIETY?
Constitution
The constitution protects the rights of groups to exist and gives them judicial recourse if their rights are infringed by challenging infractions in the Supreme Court.
SIGNIFICANT TO US SOCIETY?
Large access points
Large number of access points means greater choice and opportunity for a group to become influential.
SIGNIFICANT TO US SOCIETY?
Federal nature of the USA
Federal nature of the USA means that groups can target change on a local level instead of having to worry about national politics.
FACTORS AFFECTING INTEREST GROUP INFLUENCE
Group finances - NRA overall impact
They spent $9.2 million on campaigning to get Donald Trump re-elected in 2020.
This included buying air time for TV ads - this was less in 2020 than it was in 2016.
FACTORS AFFECTING INTEREST GROUP INFLUENCE
Group membership - an example of a large interest group?
American Civil Liberties Union has more than 1.6 million members which means it has a significant financial base – it can also claim to represent a wide variety of voters.
FACTORS AFFECTING INTEREST GROUP INFLUENCE
Expertise/access - NRA-ILA
NRA has an arm its organisation dedicated to legislative action (NRA-ILA) which aims to educate lawmakers about gun ownership to prevent restrictive measures from being passed.
FACTORS AFFECTING INTEREST GROUP INFLUENCE
Expertise/access - How do interest groups exert expertise?
Expert interest groups can use professional lobbyists to help put their arguments forward to legislators. This means they can sustain office in Washington D.C and other state capitals.
They can also provide legislators with voting cues (guidance on which candidates to support or oppose).
SINGLE-ISSUE GROUP
Definition
A single-issue group tries to exert influence around one small, specific area.
Given the size of America, these groups are large themselves.
SINGLE-ISSUE GROUP
Example of a single-interest group
The NRA are an example of this… while it contacts Congress on many bills that may not have a natural link to the right to bear arms, in almost every case, this is what they are advocating for.
The NRA fought over the storage of weapons – seen through the Supreme Court Case of District of Columbia V Heller 2008 or fighting against restrictions on magazine capacity.
Group campaigns can change in nature too – in 2017, following the Las Vegas mass shooting which killed 58 people sparked a national conversation on ‘bump stocks’, which can create a higher rate of fire from semi-automatic weaponry.
These discussions are particularly relevant for single-issue area of guns, under the protection of the 2nd Amendment.
PROFESSIONAL GROUP
Definition
A professional group is one which represents the interests of its members, usually working in a specific area. These groups are very similar to unions.
PROFESSIONAL GROUP
Example of a professional group
National Association of Broadcasters was one of the biggest lobbying spenders in 2017, which is not surprising given Trump’s comments on the spread of ‘fake news’
