1. Interest Groups
Dr. Christopher S. Rice

2. Interest Groups
Organizations that try to
shape public policy by
influencing the behavior of
political decision-makers.

3. (cc) 2007 Flickr user Flyover Living
Interest groups are
important
instruments to attain
democracy and
serve the public
interest

4. 3
Types of Interest Groups

5. Public Interest Groups
(citizen groups)

6. (cc) 2007 Flickr user williamhartz
Interests that are connected to the
general welfare of the community

7. Non-Economic Groups
motivated by:

8. Non-Economic Groups
motivated by:
Ideology

9. Non-Economic Groups
motivated by:
Ideology
Desire to advance a cause

10. Non-Economic Groups
motivated by:
Ideology
Desire to advance a cause
Commitment to a
particular public policy

11. Attract members using
solidaristic or purposive
incentives

12. Number of public interest
groups has increased markedly
since the 1960’s

13. Private Interest Groups
(economic groups)

14. Groups with some tangible
stake that they wish to
protect or to advance by
means of government
action

15. Associated with providing
benefits for a fraction of the
community

16. Primarily based on
selective benefits

17. 3

18. Producer Groups
represent enterprises that
produce goods or services,
such as businesses or
agriculture

19. Professional Groups
represent the interests of
professionals, such as doctors,
lawyers, and dentists.

20. Unions
protect jobs of members,
work for maximum wage &
benefit levels.

21. “Gray Area”
Interest Groups

22. Governments
“Gray Area”
Interest Groups

23. Governments
“Gray Area”
Interest Groups
Think
Tanks

24. Think
Tanks
Governments
“Gray Area”
Interest Groups
Issue Networks
and Alliances

25. Think
Tanks
Governments
“Gray Area”
Interest Groups
Astroturf
Groups
Issue Networks
and Alliances

26. What Interest Groups Do

27. What Interest Groups Do
the “inside” and “outside” games

28. The Inside Game
Direct contact of interest
group representative and
government officials

29. One-on-one
Persuasion
(cc) 2005 Flickr user
Spamily

30. Requires an understanding of
the “rules of the game”
(cc) 2006 Flickr user romainguy

31. The inside game is most
effective when the issues:

32. The inside game is most
effective when the issues:
are narrow and technical;

33. The inside game is most
effective when the issues:
are narrow and technical;
do not command much media
or public attention;

34. The inside game is most
effective when the issues:
are narrow and technical;
do not command much media
or public attention;
do not stir up counteractivity by
other interest groups.

36. Inside Game
Lobbying Congress

37. (cc) 2007 Flickr user ethorson

38. (cc) 2005 Flickr user Tracy O
The Importance
of Campaign
Contributions

39. Provide Testimony at Public Hearings
of Committees & Subcommittees
(cc) 2008 flickr user Robert Whitlock

40. The “Lobbyist’s Loop of Deceit”
(c) 2008 Valdis/NetworkWeaving.com

41. Inside Game
Lobbying Executive Branch

42. (cc) 2007 Flickr user ethorson

43. Helping the
Bureaucracy

44. The
Revolving
Door?

45. The Outside Game
Efforts to mobilize public
opinion, voters, and important
contributors in order to bring
pressure on elected officials

46. Tools of the Outside Game

47. Tools of the Outside Game
• Mobilizing Membership

48. Tools of the Outside Game
• Mobilizing Membership
• Organizing the District

49. Tools of the Outside Game
• Mobilizing Membership
• Organizing the District
• Shaping Opinion

50. Tools of the Outside Game
• Mobilizing Membership
• Organizing the District
• Shaping Opinion
– Publication of Research results

51. Tools of the Outside Game
• Mobilizing Membership
• Organizing the District
• Shaping Opinion
– Publication of Research results
– Advertising

52. Tools of the Outside Game
• Mobilizing Membership
• Organizing the District
• Shaping Opinion
– Publication of Research results
– Advertising
– Maintaining working relationships with
the media

53. Tools of the Outside Game
• Mobilizing Membership
• Organizing the District
• Shaping Opinion
– Publication of Research results
– Advertising
– Maintaining working relationships with
the media
– Political Action Committees

54. Tools of the Outside Game
• Mobilizing Membership
• Organizing the District
• Shaping Opinion
– Publication of Research results
– Advertising
– Maintaining working relationships with
the media
– Political Action Committees
– Blogging and Web 2.0 activism

55. Interest Group System &
Democracy

56. 3
Inequalities in the Interest
Group System

57. Representational Inequalities
involves the question of WHOM
interest groups represent

58. 2/3

59. Representational advantage
of business, professions
increasing

60. Representational advantage
of business, professions
increasing

61. Business & Professional Groups
have more permanency
(cc) 2007 Flickr user Rob Ball

62. Resource Inequalities
interest groups representing
business corporations and the
professions represent a
substantial resource advantage
over others

63. (cc) 2006 Flickr user thejedi

64. Lobbying Expenditures 1998-2013
627,051,945*
572,187,887*
408,291,198*
1,646,493,793*
1,731,838,477*
5,786,944,314*
1,891,094,434*
Business*(Misc)*
Health*
Finance/Insurance/Real*Estate*
CommunicaEons/Electronics*
Energy/Natural*Resources*
2,941,323,494*
5,742,152,457*
Other*
TransportaEon*
Ideology/Single*Issue*
3,067,295,206*
Agribusiness*
Defense*
5,728,530,469*
4,256,934,625*
ConstrucEon*
Labor*
Lawyers*&*Lobbyists*
4,683,959,834*
Source: Center for Responsive Politics

65. ROI

66. Do interest groups
neutralize
each other?

67. Access inequality
inequalities of representation
and resources are accentuated
by the ability of some groups to
form relatively stable alliances
with government institutions and
decision-makers

68. Interest Group Liberalism
political system in which interest
groups help formulate and carry
out government policies

70. Capture
tendency for regulatory
agencies to become allies,
protectors, & advocates of
the industries that they were
intended to regulate

71. Iron Triangles
A three-way arrangement in
which an alliance is formed
between a private interest
group, a bureaucratic agency,
and a Congressional committee
or subcommittee.