Download Interest Groups: Functions, Formation, and Types - Prof. Tracy Osborn and more Study notes Political Science in PDF only on Docsity! Lecture 10: Interest Groups 12/10 Interest Groups Interest group is an organization of individuals who share a common political goal and unite for the purpose of influencing government decisions o Interest groups=issues, Political Parties=individuals Thousands of interest groups o Certain moments in history when interest groups were driven to form due to specific events o Many interest groups formed up with Franklin’s New Deal after the depression and Johnson’s Great Society Ex: AARP, UAA FECA was first legislation that changed campaign money Political Action Committee (PAC): specifically put together for the purpose of raising and donating money The six major functions of interest groups as intermediaries Representation: Interest groups represent peoples opinions to government Participation: give ordinary citizens a way to participate in government that goes beyond voting Education: provide education on there issues both for their members and the government Agenda building: help put their issues in the agenda of Congress, President, or any part of government Provision of program alternatives: provide ideas for how to deal with the problem Program monitoring: watch after a law after it is created to make sure it is being carried out correctly, or being carried out at all Forming interest groups Interest group entrepreneur: someone who is willing to put in resources, smarts, and be determined on a certain issue o Ex: Candy Lightner and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Have to get members and have members stay in the group o Collective good: good that can be enjoyed by everybody Ex: group project’s collective good is the grade o The person that sits in the corner and does nothing is the free rider o Free riding: why should people join you to solve the problem when they can reap the benefits of your action whether they join or not? How to overcome the free rider problem with selective incentives Material incentives: tangible rewards that members can use o Ex: NRA-monthly magazine, AARP-vast amount of discounts Solidary incentives: interaction and bonding among group members o Ex: Grandparents of AARP would have lunches with other old people in AARP Expressive incentives: opportunity to express values and beliefs o Ex: NRA has lots of members who feel they make a difference in what they believe in, “Part of something bigger” Types of Interest Groups Economic Interest Groups Have the most money and most influence of the interest groups Includes Unions and Business associations Fighting for “their slice of economic pie” Equal Opportunity Interest Groups Tend to push for equal rights for different groups Or particular issues for groups that are underrepresented in society o Ex: AARP-old people, NAACP-African Americans, PETA-Animals Public Interest Groups Organize to influence a collective good or service See what they are organizing for as a benefit for everybody o Ex: Christian Coalition, Environmental Interest Groups, NRA, Consumers Union Government Interest Groups Other governments who lobby for their country We lobby foreign governments Want favorable trade practices, foreign aid, we want them to go along with our will Also can be more local o Ex: states lobbying national
