A Trump supporter with a sign reading "Pres. Trump Build That Wall." (Credit: modification of work--Robyn Beck / AFP/Getty Images and Paul Waldman, Special to the Washington Post Commentary: "Sorry, Trump
voters, you got scammed. You're never getting your wall." at http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-trump-mexico-border-wall-scam-20170425-story.html) and Members of the League of United Latin American Citizens, respected Hispanic civil rights interest group protesting the border wall. (Credit: modification of work--LULAC at http://lulac.org/) Show
Learning Objectives
An interest group is a group of people working together through an organization and advocating on behalf of shared interests. Interest groups abound in the United States. In recent years, many groups spoke out on behalf of both sides of the argument over government healthcare. The 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), also known as
Obamacare, represented a substantial overhaul of the U.S. healthcare system.[19] Given its potential impact, interest
group representatives (lobbyists) from the insurance industry, hospitals, medical device manufacturers, and organizations representing doctors, patients, and employers all tried to influence what the law would look like and the way it would operate. Moreover, besides paid representatives of many interest groups, many ordinary citizens got involved in "grassroots" lobbying efforts to attempt to influence lawmakers to support or oppose the legislation. Even after the legislation
became law, interest groups remained involved, some seeking to influence the rules and regulations issued to implement the law, while others sought to challenge the law in court. In fact, throughout its entire existence, the controversial law continued to engage interest groups seeking to either protect and expand the law or to repeal and replace it. In 2017, the Republican dominated Congress and the Trump administration initiated an effort to substantially change U.S. healthcare law and many
interest groups were once again working on behalf of their members. Consider the Original Excerpts from || Federalist No. 10 || What Are Interest Groups and What Do They Want? Definitions abound when it comes to interest groups, which are sometimes referred to as special interests, interest organizations, pressure groups, or just interests. Most definitions specify that interest group indicates any formal association of individuals or organizations
that attempt to influence government decision-making and/or the making of public policy. This influence is advocacy. People translate opinion into advocacy. They may speak to a friend or co-worker and eventually form a group with this shared interest in influencing others. If advocacy attempts are successful, other individuals, groups, legislators, etc. may be co-opted into the same opinion, shared interest, or common policy agenda. Often, this influence is exercised
by a lobbyist or a lobbying firm. Lobbying is not limited to Washington, DC, however, and many interests lobby there as well as in one or more states. Each state has its own laws describing which individuals and entities must register, so the definitions of lobbyists and interests, and of what lobbying is and who must register to do it, also vary from state to state. Therefore, while a citizen contacting a lawmaker to discuss an issue is generally not viewed as lobbying, an organization that devotes a certain amount of
time and resources to contacting lawmakers may be classified as lobbying, depending on local, state, or federal law. Interest groups also include associations, which are typically groups of institutions that join with others, often within the same trade or industry (trade associations), and have similar concerns. The American Beverage Association includes Coca-Cola, Red Bull North America, ROCKSTAR, and Kraft Foods.[27] Despite the fact that these companies are competitors, they have common interests related to the manufacturing, bottling, and distribution of beverages, as well as the regulation of their business activities. The logic is that there is strength in numbers, and if members can lobby for tax breaks or eased regulations for an entire industry, they may all benefit. These common goals do not, however, prevent individual association members from employing in-house lobbyists or contract lobbying firms to represent their own business or organization as well. Indeed, many members of associations are competitors who also seek representation individually before the legislature. Visit the website of an association like the American Beverage Association or the American Bankers Association and look over the key issues it addresses. Do any of the issues it cares about surprise you? What areas do you think members can agree about? Are there issues on which the membership might disagree? Why would competitors join together when they normally compete for business? Finally, sometimes individuals volunteer to represent an organization. They are called amateur or volunteer lobbyists, and are typically not compensated for their lobbying efforts. In some cases, citizens may lobby for pet projects because they care about some issue or cause. They may or may not be members of an interest group, but if they register to lobby, they are sometimes nicknamed “hobbyists.” A Florida member of the NRA proudly displays his support of gun rights (a). In December 2012, CREDO, a San Francisco telecommunications company that supports progressive causes, called on the NRA to stop blocking Congress from passing gun control legislation (b). (Credit a: modification of work by Daniel Oines; Credit b: modification of work by Josh Lopez) Interest groups serve as a means of political participation for their members. The primary goal of interest groups is to influence decision-makers and public policy through advocacy on behalf of members. While influencing policy is the primary goal, interest groups also monitor government programs
and activity and provide information to the public and to lawmakers about effectiveness or ineffectiveness of governmental programs from their point of view. Thus, a member of an interest group or a citizen concerned about the issues or the governmental activities that the interest group monitors, need not be an expert on the legislative process or the technical or legal details of a proposed bill to be kept informed and to know when to politically participate on issues of interest. Interest
groups regularly inform members, the general public, and governmental decision-makers of their evaluations of issues and governmental activities of concern, and they suggest changes to programs and services. Interest Group Types: Economic Issue Groups v. Citizen-Public Issue Interest Groups Interest groups and organizations represent
both economic and non-economic issues in the United States. Economic interest groups usually seek particularized benefits from government that favor a work-related single interest or a narrow set of economically related interests focused on some industry sector, occupational group, or employee
union.[31] For example, The American Dairy Association may lobby government for tax exemptions, fewer regulations, or favorable laws that benefit individual companies or an industry more
generally. Questions to Consider
Terms to Rememberadvocacy--influence; individuals or interest groups speak out in an attempt to influence others Licenses and AttributionsCC licensed content, Shared previously
What do interest groups provide policy makers quizlet?Interest groups provide campaign support for legislators who favor their policies and sometimes encourage their own members to try to win posts in party organizations. Most important, interest groups urge their members to vote for candidates who support the views of the group.
What do interest groups do when they interact with the government quizlet?What are two of the main things that interest groups do to interact with the government? a. They try to shape policies, which they can do by mobilizing voters or by putting direct pressure on elected officials.
How do interest groups influence public policy AP Gov?Interest groups facilitate citizen participation in government, organizing individuals to take collective action through voting, fundraising, and disseminating information about their issues to elected officials and the public.
What are the people called that try to influence government policy on behalf of interest groups?A 'lobbyist' is a person who tries to influence legislation on behalf of a special interest or a member of a lobby.
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