APGOVCh.14.Kamari.Blankenship Flashcards
(31 cards)
interest group
a collection of people or organizations that tries to influence public policy
Interest groups are different from political parties because interest groups do not run candidates for office.
American Anti-Slavery Society
a major interest group, founded in 1833, to advocate for the abolition of the institution of slavery throughout the US
The American Anti-Slavery Society was founded by William Lloyd Harrison in 1833 and by 1838 it had about 250,000 members.
Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU)
a public interest group created in 1874 with the goal of outlawing the sale of liquor. It’s activities included prayer groups, protest marches, lobbying, and the destruction of saloons
The WCTU would organize prayer groups, lobby for prohibition legislation, and conduct peaceful marches.
The Grange
founded in 1867 as an educational organization for farmers, The Grange evolved into the first truly national interest group by working to protect the political and economic concerns of farming communities and rural areas
The Grange was formed during the period after the Civil War.
lobbyist
interest group representative who seeks to influence legislation that will benefit his or her organization or client through political and/or financial persuasion
The lobbyist tried to convince Kanye West to speak against Trump in order to sway the upcoming 2020 election.
Progressive movement
a broad group of political and social activists from the 1890s to the 1920s who opposed corruption in government, supported regulation of monopolies, and sought improvement of socioeconomic conditions
The progressive movement would regulate any irresponsible actions taken by the rich that may negatively affect public and private life.
public interest group
an organization that seeks a collective good that if achieved will not selectively and materially benefit group members
There are four different types of public interest groups: business groups, labor groups, architectural groups, and professional associations.
American Federation of Labor (AFL)
founded in 1886, the AFL brought skilled workers from several trades together into one stronger national organization for the first time. It merged in 1955 with the Congress of Industrial Organizations to form the AFL-CIO
The AFL was forced to react to the success of big businesses’ use of legal injunctions to prohibit union organization.
National Association of Manufacturers (NAM)
an organization founded in 1895 by manufacturers to combat the growth of organized labor
NAM became active politically when a major tariff bill was under congressional consideration.
US Chamber of Commerce
a major pro-business lobbying group founded in 1912
The Chamber of Commerce planned elaborate and successful litigation campaigns to overturn key regulations affecting businesses along with other groups.
trade association
a group that represents a specific industry
Trade associations became effective spokespersons for their member companies.
Jerry Falwell
a southern Baptist minister who, in 1978, founded the conservative religious interest group the Moral Majority
Jerry Falwell was an American Southern Baptist pastor, televangelist, and conservative activist.
Moral Majority
a conservative religious interest group credited with helping to mobilize conservative Evangelical Christian voters from its founding in 1978 through the presidency of Ronald Reagan (1981-1989)
The Moral Majority assisted in the election of Ronald Reagan as president in 1980.
Pat Robertson
a southern Baptist minister and television evangelist who ran for president in 1988 and in 1989 founded the conservative religious interest group the Christian Coalition
Pat Robertson founded what became the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN), which aired his talk show, The 700 Club.
Christian Coalition
A religious interest group founded in 1989 to advance conservative Christian principles and traditional values in American politics
The Christian Coalition played an important role in the policy process as well as in elections at the state and national level.
National Rifle Association (NRA)
the major gun-rights lobbying group in the US, which opposes gun control and advances an expansive interpretation of the Second Amendment
The NRA still remains a potent player in the political process such as the recent gun control debate due to a large number of school shootings.
AFL-CIO
a large union founded in 1955 by the merging of the American Federation of Labor (AFL) and its one-time rival the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO)
The AFL-CIO used it’s power to pressure the government with many issues such as civil rights, workplace safety, minimum wage laws, and medical insurance.
social capital
cooperative relationships that facilitate the resolution of collective problems
The more social capital exists in a given community, the more citizens are involved in their government.
civic virtue
the tendency to form small-scale associations for the public good
Civil virtue creates fertile ground within communities for improved political and economic development.
pluralist theory
the theory that political power is distributed among a wide array of diverse and competing interest groups
The pluralist theory indicates that power is distributed among many groups.
distributive theory
the theory that interest groups form as a result of changes in the political system
The distributive theory is used by pluralist theorists to explain the formation of interest groups.
transactions theory
the theory that public policies are the result of narrowly defined exchanges or transactions among political actors
The transactions theory arose out of criticisms of the pluralist approach.
collective good
something of value that cannot be withheld that cannot be withheld from a nonmember of a group, for example, a tax write-off of a better environment
Common examples of public goods include: defense, public fireworks, lighthouses, clean air and other environmental goods.
economic interest group
a group with the primary purpose of promoting the financial interests of its members
The largest categories of economic interest groups were business groups and labor organizations.
