Pt 3: Chapter 9 Vocab

Question 1

Organized interests formed by individuals drawn together by opportunities to promote a cause in which they believe but that does not provide them significant individual economic benefits

Answer 1

Citizens’ (noneconomic) groups

Question 2

Benefits that are offered by groups (usually citizens groups) as an incentive for membership but that are non divisible ( such as a clean environment) and therefore are available to nonmembers as well as members of the particular group

Answer 2

Collective (public) goods

Question 3

Interest groups that are organized primarily for economic reasons but that engage in political activity in order to seek favorable policies from government

Answer 3

Economic groups

Question 4

The situation in which The benefits offered by a group to its members are also available to nonmembers. The incentive to join the group and to promote it’s cause is reduced because nonmembers receive the benefits without having to pay any of the groups costs.

Answer 4

Free rider problem

Question 5

Direct communication between organized interests and policy makers, which is based on the assumed value of close (“inside”) contacts with policymakers

Answer 5

Inside lobbying

Question 6

Any organization that actively seeks to influence public policy

Answer 6

Interest group

Question 7

A small and informal but relatively stable group of well-positioned legislators, executives, and lobbyists who seek to promote policies beneficial to a particular interest

Answer 7

Iron triangle

Question 8

An informal and relatively open network of public officials and lobbyists who come together in response to a proposed policy in an area of interest to them. Unlike an iron triangle, this disbands after the issue is resolved

Answer 8

Issue network

Question 9

The process by which interest group members or lobbyists attempt to influence public policy through contacts with public officials

Answer 9

Lobbying

Question 10

A form of lobbying in which an interest group seeks to use public pressure as a means of influencing officials

Answer 10

Outside lobbying

Question 11

The organization through which an interest group raises and distributes funds for election purposes. By law, the funds must be raised through voluntary contributions

Answer 11

Political Action Committee (PAC)

Question 12

Benefits that a group (most often an economic group) can grant directly and exclusively to individual members of the group

Answer 12

Private (individual) goods

Question 13

Election committees that are unrestricted in their fund raising and spending as long as they do not coordinate their campaign efforts with that of a candidate

Answer 13

super PACs