Interest Grups in the American Demcracy Part I Wh is in charge? Is it taxpayers r is it the special interest grups? Sctt Walker
What is an Interest Grup?...an rganized grup that tries t influence public plicy David Truman ne f first t study interest grups Disturbance Thery: interest grups frm in part t cunteract the effrts f ther grups Rbert Salisbury Grups frm when resurces are inadequate r scarce. expanded Truman s thery stressed the rle that leaders play: entrepreneurs
Americans Tend T Be Jiners In the US, mst wh jin tend t be frm upper incme levels.
The Rts and Develpment f American Interest Grups Natinal Grups Emerge (1830-1889) Cmmunicatin netwrks enabled natinalizatin f grups. Single-issue grups, deeply rted in Christian religius revivalism, were first. temperance, peace, educatin, slavery Other grups emerged after the Civil War. lbbyist: interest grup representative wh, thrugh plitical persuasin, seeks t influence legislatin that will benefit his/her rganizatin
The Rts and Develpment f American Interest Grups The Prgressive Era (1890-1920) Grups grew ut f cncern fr the impact f rapid industrializatin, influx f immigratin, mnplistic business practices, crime, pverty, pr wrking cnditins. rganized labr American Federatin f Labr: natinal federatin f labr unins funded in 1886 Claytn Act: allwed unins t rganize free frm prsecutin and guaranteed their right t strike business grups and trade assciatins trade assciatin: a grup that represents a specific industry, example: Natinal Electric Light Assciatin
The Rts and Develpment f American Interest Grups Organized labr began t emerge as a pwerful player early in the 20 th century. culd turn ut large numbers f members t influence electins fcus nt nly n labr issues, but als ther issues f cncern t members Mre recently labr has lst clut. membership dwn
Uninized Wrkers in the US
The Rts and Develpment f American Interest Grups Reappearance f the Prgressive Spirit (1960s and 1970s) civil rights wmen s rights elderly pr cnsumers envirnment Cmmn Cause: nnprfit, nnpartisan citizen's lbbying rganizatin prmting pen, hnest and accuntable gvernment Ralph Nader s Public Citizen: nn-prfit, cnsumer rights advcacy grup and think tank based in DC, with a branch in Austin
The Rts and Develpment f American Interest Grups Cnservative Backlash: Religius and Idelgical Grups Jerry Falwell and the Mral Majrity: a prminent American plitical rganizatin assciated with the Christian right and Republican Party... funded in 1979 by Jerry Falwell and assciates and disslved in the late 1980s... played a key rle in the mbilizatin f cnservative Christians as a plitical frce and particularly in Republican presidential victries thrughut the 1980s Pat Rbertsn, the 700 Club and the Christian Calitin (CCA): Rbertsn created the Christian Bradcasting Netwrk in 1960, with the 700 Club its flagship televisin prgram... Rbertsn funded the CCA (1989), a 501(c)(4) Christian advcacy grup, using mney frm his well-funded but failed 1988 bid fr the presidency.
The Rts and Develpment f American Interest Grups Cnservative Backlash: Religius and Idelgical Grups Natinal Rifle Assciatin: nnprfit rganizatin, funded in 1871, which advcates fr gun rights... ne f the tp three mst influential lbbying grups in Washingtn... questins abut number f members since NRA reprtedly keeps deceased life members n the bks, inflating membership numbers
The Rts and Develpment f American Interest Grups Rise in Business Advcacy Grups mre plitical than Chamber f Cmmerce example: Business Rundtable created in 1972... urges members t engage in direct lbbying t influence the curse f public plicy Mst large crpratins have an advcacy grup. gvernmental affairs department emply DC-based lbbyists t keep them apprised f legislatin have given substantial sft mney: cntributin t a plitical party that is nt accunted as ging t a particular candidate, thus aviding varius legal limitatins use PACs (plitical actin cmmittee), 527s (tax-exempt rganizatin created t influence electins), and thus cntribute a great deal f mney
Interest Grup Develpment Interest grup frmatin has ccurred in waves. Pst-Civil War Prgressive Era Pst 1960s (largest wave) Recent generatin f interest grups respnded t changes in plitics and technlgy.
Interest Grup Develpment Interest grup frmatin is tied t the existence f certain structural factrs. Several features f the American plitical system, the rules f the plitical game, encurage the frmatin f grups. 1 st Amendment freedms f speech and assciatin federalism s decentralizatin f pwer: lts f pints f access r pressure pints checks and balances separatin f pwers
Interest Grup Develpment As gvernment takes n mre respnsibilities, it has a greater impact n citizens ecnmic, scial and persnal lives... leading t a rise f grups that supprt r ppse changes. When new gvernment agencies are established, new interest grups emerge... example: Department f Hmeland Security. Grups frm in scieties where there are many and diverse interests, such as the US. Grups frm in a plitical culture that supprts the pursuit f private interests, such as the US.
Interest Grup Develpment: Disturbances Grups tend t frm and/r grw when peple feel that their interests are being threatened. example: The Christian Calitin was created when many evangelical Christians began t feel threatened by family breakdwn, an increase in the number f abrtins, the sexual revlutin and the grwing vices f gays and lesbians.
Disturbances: NRA Membership
Interest Grup Develpment: Incentives Sme scial scientists argue that even when peple feel threatened, they will frm grups nly if ding s prvides them with a selective, material benefit. If smene can get the benefit withut jining the grup (knwn as a free rider), then there may be n purpse in jining. The free rider prblem tends t ccur when a grup is interested in sme cllective gd that benefits everyne and nt just members. The prliferatin f public interest and idelgical grups, suggests that grups als frm arund purpsive and slidaristic incentives.
The Nature and Variety f Interest Grups Great Variety f Frm frmal t infrmal... One study fund that f 83 public interest grups examined, 30 had n membership. assciatins membership grups: individuals make vluntary cntributins trade assciatins: members pay regular dues Estimatin that almst 80% f interest grups in the 1980s represented prfessinal r ccupatinal cnstituencies (bth prfit-seeking and nnprfit). The ther 20% reflect citizens grups (scial mvements).
What Interests Are Represented? Interest grups may be classified by the type f interest they represent. Public interests are interests that are cnnected in ne way r anther t the general welfare f the cmmunity. great upsurge in number and influence since the late 1960s advcacy grups, assciatins representing state and lcal gvernments, nnprfit rganizatins Private interests are assciated with benefits fr sme fractin f the cmmunity. business grups prfessinal grups labr
Kinds f Organized Interests Generally, interest grup is a term used t describe the numerus rganized grups that try t influence gvernment plicy. Alphabetical Listing f Industries private interest grups ecnmic interest grups plitical actin cmmittees public interest grups gvernmental units multi-issue vs. single issue grups
Public Interests vs. Private Interests
Prfiles f Selected Interest Grups
The Special Place f Business Crpratins Schlars have fund that crpratins dminate ther interest grups in the plicy prcess in terms f: number f rganizatins number f lbbyists level f resurces mbility Crpratins have the same rights as human beings fr purpses f spending mney t influence electins. ability t shape public perceptins traditinally held in high regard and viewed as link t healthy ecnmy Nnetheless, crprate pwer waxes and wanes within its verall privileged psitin. Crpratins are mst pwerful in gd ecnmic times and when they build alliances amng themselves.
Rles f Interest Grups in a Demcratic Sciety Rles f Interest Grups shape public plicy influence the behavir f plitical decisin makers infrm the public and elected fficials link citizens and gvernment, cnvey the views f individuals and grups t public fficials link the state and lcal plitical systems t the natinal plitical system allw a cmmunity t apprach their legislatr thrugh mre effective means than disrganized individuals wuld be able t achieve
Frming and Maintaining Interest Grups Millins d nt jin grups. In many cases, an interest grup may include nly 1% r less f its ptential membership. Nt all interests frm grups. A cmmn interest may be a necessary cnditin fr a grup, but it is nt a sufficient cnditin... als need resurces.
Frming and Maintaining Interest Grups If all interests are nt represented, plitics may be biased. Mrever, when interest grups are frmed, members ften must wrk hard t maintain them. Grups need t prvide incentives t members t justify the investment f members resurces.
Frming and Maintaining Interest Grups Types f incentives material incentives: jin fr ecnmic reasns, mney, things, services slidaristic incentives: jin fr scial reasns, pleasure, cmpaninship purpsive incentives: jin t advance a grup s scial and/r plitical gals/purpses... tw types: idelgical and public interest
Frming and Maintaining Interest Grups: Free-Riders The free rider prblem (individual can get the benefit withut bearing any f the csts) tends t ccur when a grup is interested in sme cllective gd that benefits everyne and nt just members.
The Free Rider Prblem Free-riding ccurs when individuals believe that the attainment f a grup s gal has little relatinship t their persnal cntributins. Tw elements encurage individuals t free-ride. negligible cntributin: An individual believes his/her persnal cntributin t attaining a gal is s small as t be unnticeable. Why cntribute mney, time r effrt? What will $20 d? gal attainment regardless f cntributin: An individual believes the grup will still attain the gal even withut the individual s cntributin.
The Free Rider Prblem Free-riding effects larger grups t a greater degree. In small grups, scial pressure creates an incentive t cntribute. All things being equal, the free rider prblem is mre serius the greater the distance frm and the greater the abstractness f the benefit the grup seeks t achieve. example: A grup trying t reduce wrld hunger will have mre free riders than a grup feeding the pr in its neighbrhd.
The Free Rider Prblem Public Gds gds that yu can enjy withut cntributing by free-riding n the effrts f thse wh d Private Gds gds that yu must purchase t enjy, and yur cnsumptin f which means that thers cannt cnsume them The free rider prblem implies that demcratic plitics will favr narrw special interests at the expense f brader public interests.
Overcming the Free Rider Prblem cercin: scial pressure r frce t make peple jin in a cllective effrt milder frm: Practicing law usually requires membership in the state bar assciatin. Sme trades require a state license r fficial certificatin. Thse wh wish t participate must g thrugh frmal prcesses and jin particular rganizatins. declining as means f vercming free-riding
Overcming the Free Rider Prblem Increasing Perceived Impact Grups may refrmulate their appeals in rder t suggest that even small cntributins have a cncrete impact. example: UNICEF s penny cllectins Scial Mvements brad-based demand fr gvernment actin n sme prblem r issue, such as civil rights fr blacks and wmen r envirnmental prtectin example: ablitinist mvement, Ppulist and labr mvements, wmen s suffrage mvement, civil rights mvement, equal rights mvement, religius right mvement, etc
Overcming the Free Rider Prblem Selective Benefits additinal benefits f belnging t an rganizatin that are limited t cntributing members f the rganizatin example: AARP ffers access t mail rder pharmacy services (where vlume decreases price paid by individuals), t lw cst aut, health and life insurance, t discunts n htels, airfares and car rentals, etc t thse wh jin.
Overcming the Free Rider Prblem Patrns Rich individuals with deep cmmitments t the grup gal may make a difference with large cntributins. Plitical Entrepreneurs peple willing t assume the csts f frming and maintaining an rganizatin even when thers may free-ride n them
Cntinued in Interest Grups in the American Demcracy Part II