Chapter 6 Interest Groups PDF

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Chapter 6: Interest Groups Friday, March 6, 2020

2:55 PM

Interest group: an organization established to influence government's programs and policies Interest groups - Issue-oriented: the organization is founded based on its position on a single issue - Ideological: the group is founded based on a set of issues or ideology - Economic: the organization is founded based on an economic factor (job, industry, labor unit, AMA, ABA) - Political Action Committee (PACs): is an organization to get candidates elected that will useful to a group, more focused on elections that individual issues Interest group activities - Mobilization: getting people out to vote based on the interest group's recommendations, out mock ballots to tell the members who to vote for ○ Free rider: you can receive benefits without doing any work, not participating in th group but still getting the same candidate you would want elected - Lobbying: influencing government decision making, influence what the government doe and does not do ○ Direct: direct contact with government officials ○ Indirect: protest marches, influence through pressure without meeting with them - Electioneering: influencing who obtains elected office, influencing elections - Appointmenteering: influencing who obtains appointed office, influence who the govern or president appoints First amendment entities - Freedom of assembly: interest group is an assembly of people - Freedom of speech: interest groups provide the ability for us to express our thoughts to t government - Right to petition: right to ask for changes in the way our government works (lobbying) - Freedom of press: right to report on what is going on in government - Freedom of religion?: some interest groups focused on religious issues, sometimes embodiment Structural factors for Texas interest groups - Multiple access points: national level: two houses and the president, Texas: elect judges a multiple executive officials (plural executive) and two houses - Lax campaign laws: only one major law: no corporate funds, no other rules O d k f h

Structural factors for Texas interest groups - Multiple access points: national level: two houses and the president, Texas: elect judges and multiple executive officials (plural executive) and two houses - Lax campaign laws: only one major law: no corporate funds, no other rules - One party domination: no competition in parties, makes interest groups from the same party compete against each other ○ No democrats in statewide offices ○ House: 83-67 Republican ○ Senate: 19-12 republican - Part time legislature: only 140 day regular sessions ○ $7,200/year ○ $150/day during sessions ○ Two year salary: $21,000 ○ Creates opportunity for gifts since they don't make much and they are required to live in Austin for at least 5 months...