INTEREST GROUPS Flashcards
(18 cards)
define an interest group
an organised group of individuals with similar beliefs, who try to influence politicians to adopt policies which amplify their cause
what is a sectional interest group
an interest group focused on representing a section of society and groups in society (which could include trade unions, business groups, intergovernmental groups etc)
what is a causal group
causal groups are dedicated only to a single issue and attract to people who are more ideologically similar (these tend to be think tanks or policy groups, because they only advocate for one thing)
3 examples of a sectional interest group
- United Auto Workers
- American Medical Association
- Teamsters (a union for truck drivers)
3 examples of a causal interest group
- Sierra Club
- NRA
- American Conservative Union (ideological alignment)
- Heritage Foundation
what is an intergovernmental group
groups which lobby one level of government on behalf of one another
define pluralism and how do many interest groups promote pluralism
pluralism:
- political power is distributed among different groups with different interests
- power is being competed for between different groups
- pluralism allows for a plethora of ideological ideas to be expressed
- power is concentrated in the hands of the many, instead of the hands of the few
how do interest groups promote pluralism?
- there are a wide range of different interest groups which represent different causes
- competition for power enhances democracy
- the diversity of interest groups prevents one group from becoming dominant and achieving entrenched power, because they only span that one field
- the first amendment provides interest groups with the right to expression = free speech
define elitism and how may interest groups promote elitism
elitism:
- political power rests with a small group and small amount of people
- these groups have a strong grasp on power, and they have entrenched power
- their immense amount of power allows them to control decision making etc
- it is often difficult to challenge the entrenched power of these groups
how do interest groups promote elitism?
- in order to have an influence in congress, you need to raise a significant sum of money to have access to higher people - only a minority of society have this access
- financial power rests with these groups
- more established and longstanding pressure groups have more recognition, and a level of trust that their donations are being wisely used, but also suppresses the influence of more new interest groups
- the policies and demands they bring are only representative of their needs, not others
bullet point the 4 functions of pressure groups
- representation
- citizen participation
- programme monitoring
- agenda building
function of pressure groups in representation, and examples of pressure groups being representative
function:
- pressure groups should act as a link/bridge between the people and politicians
- should represent the views of citizens
- should act as multipliers to represent the views of the many - more amplified political presence
examples:
- black lives matter movement - idea that public pressure from the Movement for Black Lives group was used to inspire the BREATHE act (or George Floyd Justice in policing act) which aimed to divert taxpayer money from policing into safer community initiatives
- in 2016, over 1500 pressure groups organised a joint letter writing campaign to ban the Trans Pacific Partnership - coalition to amplify the demands of constituents and represent their discontent with the policy
function of pressure groups in promoting participation, and examples of doing this
function:
- greater and more frequent citizen participation (between elections)
- participation in specific policy issues
- alternate method to campaign on issues, which are individually important
- constant exposure of politicians to the view of the electorate
examples:
- equality maine collected 85,000 signatures to force “question one” onto the ballot, which would allow same sex marriage
- centre for study of federalism declared over 200,000 interest groups in america, with over 1.5 voluntary, non profit organisations
function of pressure groups in agenda building and give examples of this
function:
- influence the agendas of parties in decision making to prioritise their interests
- pressure groups may join together to achieve a common interest
examples:
- NRA campaigned in DC v Heller for the right to bear arms, which Kennedy cited directly in his judgement
- interest group briefings to courts have increased by 800%
- more than 400 abortion bills in 41 states were written by interest groups between 2010 and 2018, with 69 becoming law
function of pressure groups in programme monitoring and give examples
function:
- hold the government to account for their policies implemented (as a result of the pressure of interest groups) - this may be done through the judiciary acting on the impact of this legislation
- will inform and warn people of the danger if legislation they pass does not represent the interests of pressure groups (expose to the public if legislation and if their efforts have been successful)
examples:
- Campaign Finance Institute commissioned experts to act on the impact of the McCain-Feingold Act of 2002
- the American Civil Liberties Union provided legal challenges to the Muslim Ban
- the Tea Party Movement would frequently report on Obamacare to sway moderates against voting for it
give examples of pressure groups having power over legislature
- writing legislation
- chemical manufacturer association writing the clean water act - voting behaviour and congress members
- roy blunt = $9000 from NRA to vote against the fix guns check act 2016
- NRA = $140 million on lobbying pro gun candidates since 2010 - lobbying
- 388 former members of congress work as lobbyists
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give examples of pressure groups having power over executive
give examples of pressure groups having power over judiciary
- amicus briefs
- dobbs v jackson - 140 organisations wrote briefs (ie ACLU)
- kennedy directly cited the NRA amicus brief in 2010 DC v Heller - ratings
- american bar associaton - ie clarence thomas - power in judiciary
- ie NFIB v sebelius - in cases themselves (publicity)
- force decisions - ACLU lawsuit on the Freedom of Information Act 2009
list the methods used by interest groups to exert influence
- electioneering and endorsement
- candidate endorsement
- lobbying
- voting cues and scorecards
- grassroots activity
- mounting legal challenges
describe how interest groups use electioneering and candidate endorsement to influence politics
electioneering:
- PAC and SUPERPAC - citizens united
- donating $5000 per election and unlimited spending
ie NRA = victory fund - spent $18 million against democrat ads and raised $23 million from 2019-2020 on trump
- power of hard money - 2006 mid terms = 1 billion spent
- endorse imcumbents = iron triangles (90% re-election rate + trust)
- senate leadership fund spent $475 million in 2020 - limit engagement
- enhances elitism - concentration of efforts, overshadow popular opinion
candidate endorsement:
