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Chapter Thirteen: Interest Groups
Government actions affect the allocation of scarce goods and values. For this reason, individuals have an incentive to join together in an attempt to influence those actions. Such organized "factions" have been a vital part of American political life since the beginning of the Republic, but recently their numbers have multiplied to match the expanding role of the national government. However, not all interests have been organized into groups. There are many barriers to collective organization and action, particularly for those on the lower end of the socioeconomic scale.
For their part, politicians rely heavily on the resources provided by interest groups. Officeholders depend on interest groups to provide the technical and political information required to make good choices. Elected politicians also rely on the financial support of organized interests to fund their campaigns. In addition to using these insider tactics to influence legislation, however, interest groups often go "over the heads" of politicians through litigation or campaigns to sway public opinion.
Critics charge that interest groups corrupt democracy by putting special interests ahead of the public good. Others accuse the pluralist political system of biasing our process toward those with the most resources or blocking any meaningful reforms of government policy. Although these concerns are serious, the proliferation of interest groups has actually increased the clout of elected politicians, who generally are unwilling to act against the wishes of voters.
After reading this chapter, you should understand…
- the ways in which politicians and interest groups can benefit each other
- why pluralism has been defended as fostering democracy and attacked as being undemocratic
- the factors that make it easier or harder to form groups, according to Mancur Olson
- the scope of lobbying efforts in Washington, D.C., and the types of organizations involved
- why public interest groups have proliferated over the past three decades
- how government policy has fostered the rise of interest groups
- the most common and important activities of interest groups
- how lobbyists responded to the attacks of September 11, 2001
- the difference between "insider" and "outsider" lobbying tactics
- how contributions by political action committees (PACs) have affected modern election campaigns
- the strategies PACs use in making campaign donations
- What sorts of benefits do politicians receive from lobbyists? If these groups are so beneficial, why do citizens view them with such suspicion?
- Why was Prohibition passed despite lacking widespread support in many areas of the country? Why was it later repealed?
- According to David Truman, does pluralism work? Why or why not? On what basis do critics disagree with Truman?
- What actions has the government taken to foster interest groups? How do governmental policies themselves create potential interest groups?
- Why have interest groups become increasingly fragmented and specialized?
- How do "insider" and "outsider" lobbying tactics differ? What situations favor the use of each? When might an interest group choose to enlist litigation as it tries to influence policy?
- What do PACs get in return for their donations to candidates? What evidence exists that such contributions are corrupting our political system?
- How did the collapse of Enron illustrate the limits of the power of lobbying?
- Overall, how does PAC activity affect public policy? Has the proliferation of interest groups strengthened or weakened the influence of elected officials? Why?
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