Interest Groups and Social Movements

Question 1

Interest groups

Answer 1

any group other than a political party organized to influence government

Question 2

Social movements

Answer 2

a loose coalition of groups and organizations with a common goal

Question 3

Social movements’ “problem of success

Answer 3

group leaders prioritize themselves, hard to monitor participation, not all Americans are represented,

Question 4

Factions and the Framers’ cures for faction

Answer 4

institutions safeguard against the majority and elections safeguard against the minority.

Question 5

Pluralism/pluralist view of US democracy

Answer 5

optimistic view of American groups; groups are organized by shared interests; none dominate political institutions; everyone gets representation and nobody wins all the time; groups serve those interested or members leave;

Question 6

Critiques of Pluralism

Answer 6

1 Interests don’t always form interest groups b/c collective action problems; #2 bias in which Americans are represented in interest groups; #3 bias in outcomes, not true that all groups win in head to head conflict

Question 7

Lobbying

Answer 7

efforts by an organized group/individual to influence decisions of government

Question 8

3 main tools of lobbying

Answer 8

1. ) Info (inside strategy) access to officials
2. ) Voters (outside strategy) most constituents aware of congress members’ actions
3. ) Money buys legislators participation/effort

Question 9

Inside lobbying

Answer 9

making direct contact with gov. officials

Question 10

Outside lobbying

Answer 10

making contact with constituents as a method to pressure officials

Question 11

What campaign donations “buy”

Answer 11

buys legislatures participation, work for a bill, amendments, put more effort into something, raise something to the top of the list

Question 12

Latent Interest

Answer 12

individuals who share a common interest but still have not formed an interest group.