Term
| What is the meaning of James Madison's phrase "Liberty is to faction what air is to fire" ? |
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Definition
| It means that as long as people possess liberty, they will pursue their own interests. This may result in the formation of factions, but liberty has too many worthy uses to be restricted simply to avoid the creation of factions. Therefore, the goal should be to ensure that such factions do not harm others in the pursuit of their interests. |
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Term
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Definition
| Pluralism is a theory that citizens connect to the government through interest groups that compete in the public sphere. The desired result is compromise and moderation in an effort to provide mutually satisfactory outcomes for as many such interest groups as can be realistically achieved. |
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Term
| In terms of politics, what is the definition of an "Interest Group" ? |
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Definition
| Any organization that tries to influence the government's programs and policies. An example would be the National Rifle Association, which vehemently opposes many attempts at tighter gun control legislation. |
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Term
| In politics, what is a Lobby? |
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Definition
| A lobby is like an interest group, but instead of being focused on programs and policies, a lobby specifically tries to influence elected officials. |
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Term
| In politics, what is a PAC? |
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Definition
| PAC stands for Political Action Committee. A PAC is a fundraising organization that tries to influence elections. |
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Term
| What are the primary purposes of organized interest groups? |
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Definition
Organized interest groups have the following purposes:
1) Speak on behalf of members (to elected officials, candidates and/or media)
2) Mobilize citizens (to vote for candidates and/or policies that support the members' interests)
3) Keep citizens informed (for example, by informing them that an upcoming vote will interest them, and they should write a letter to their congressman to encourage her to vote for or against it
4) Hold officials accountable (for example, by placing advertisements that point out their failure to support a measure that was of interest to members)
5) Litigate on behalf of individuals (meaning they arrange to sue people in order to achieve political advantage) |
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Term
| In the political world, what are the key features that characterize interest groups? |
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Definition
Interest groups have the following key features:
1) Leadership (for example, a President, Chairman and/or Board of Directors)
2) Money (The more money, the more influential the interest group)
3) Agency or office (a headquarters of some kind)
4) Members (people the group specifically represents) |
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Term
| Besides sharing members' interests, what is the key requirement for a leader of an interest group? |
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Definition
| The leader of an interest group must be "politically connected," which means they can easily get in touch with and/or meet with elected officials and lobbyists, to promote the group members' interests. |
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Term
| Though many interest groups are started locally anywhere in the country, where do most large interest groups set up their national offices? |
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Definition
| Most interest groups will locate their national office in Washington, DC if they grow large enough to be involved in national politics. |
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Term
| In a "member-based, bottom up" interest group, the members elect leaders from among the membership body to oversee the organization, but how do "organizations without members" work? |
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Definition
| "Organizations without members" aka "staff organizations" have nothing but an office staff that does little more than see after the interests of a group of wealthy donors who fund the organization. |
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Term
| With respect to Interest Group Membership, what are the four key categories of selective benefits offered by such groups? |
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Definition
The Selective Benefits of Interest Group Membership include:
1) Informational benefits (like conferences, training, research, collective bargaining)
2) Material benefits (travel packages, insurance, discounts on consumer goods)
3) Solidary benefits (friendship, personal networking opportunities)
4) Purposive benefits (advocacy for members' common interest, participation in public affairs) |
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Term
| How do interest groups typically try to resolve the so-called "Free Rider Dilemma" ? |
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Definition
| Interest groups offer selective benefits (informational, material, solidary, purposive) to attract members, whether they join or not |
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Term
| Toward which end of the socioeconomic spectrum (ranging from the poor to the very wealthy) is interest group membership typically biased? |
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Definition
| Most interest group members tend toward the higher end of the socioeconomic spectrum, meaning they tend to be relatively or very wealthy. This is because wealthy people typically have more time, money and expertise to give to the organization, and are more likely to be asked to join. They are also perceived as being more capable of helping the organization be effective. |
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Term
| Due to expansion of government and the so-called "new politics" of interest groups, has the number of interest groups grown or shrunk over the past few decades? |
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Definition
| The number of interest groups in America has grown exponentially over the last few decades. |
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Term
| Interest groups have proliferated due to expansion of government over recent decades. Why? |
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Definition
Reasons interest groups have proliferated (grown in number) over the past few decades is because of the expansion of government during this period. As a result, groups form for the following purposes:
1) To push for new government spending (for example, investing in scientific research about cancer)
2) To push for government regulation (for example, to make sure large banks play by fair rules)
3) To support new programs (for example, to ensure the success of ObamaCare)
4) To counter other groups (for example, an anti-gun organization opposed to the NRA -- National Rifle Association) |
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Term
| Aside from government expansion in recent decades, what has been the key reason for the proliferation of interest groups? |
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Definition
| Many new interest groups have formed in recent decades due to the New Politics of Interest Groups, particularly a generation of activists who came of age protesting civil rights violations and Vietnam who believe they can be a force for change, and see interest groups as a central mechanism for political change. They also use newer communications technologies like smart phones (iPhones) and social media (Facebook, Twitter) |
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Term
| One way Interest Groups influence Congress is through Direct Lobbying. What does Direct Lobbying refer to? |
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Definition
| An attempt by a group to influence the policy process through persuasion of public officials. |
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Term
| What types of people tend to make the most effective lobbyists? |
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Definition
Effective lobbyists tend to
A) have access to members of Congress. They are typically either:
1) former members of Congress themselves
2) Former high-level staffers that worked for members of Congress
3) They raise money for Congressional campaigns in exchange for access to the congresspersons
and B) Have information that Congresspersons need
Lobbyists tend to represent very knowledgeable groups or constituents, and can advise politicians on issues of interest to their groups |
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Term
| Why do lobbyists representing different constituents sometimes cooperate? |
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Definition
Lobbyists can cooperate to generate campaigns that provide:
A) grassroots support
B) fundraising
C) media efforts
D) lobbying members of Congress |
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Term
| Can members of Congress go to lobbyists to help gain support? |
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Definition
| Yes, Congresspersons are permitted to approach registered lobbyists to help gain support for their election or for issues or legislation they want to see dealt with. |
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Term
| In addition to institutional advertising and petitioning Congress directly, what is an often effective form of mobilizing public opinion on something a group is interested in? |
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Definition
| Organizing protests and demonstrations is often an effective way of mobilizing public opinion. |
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Term
| Why do interest groups try to get legislators who share their interests elected? |
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Definition
| When Congresspersons share the interests of a group, that interest group can focus their efforts on lobbying those Congresspersons rather than trying to assist them in winning election campaigns, which is much more challenging. |
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Term
| How much can a PAC contribute to a candidate's primary or general election fund? |
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Definition
| A PAC may legally contribute $5,000 to a candidate's primary or general election fund. |
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