Interest
Groups
Interest Groups
 A.k.a.- “Pressure Groups,”
“Special Interests,” or
“Political Advocacy Groups”
 A private organization that
tries to persuade public
officials to respond to the
share attitudes of its
members.
 They want policy to be
made that will favor their
interest or issue.
 Interest Groups vs. Political Parties
 Interest groups don’t nominate candidates, but
they may endorse or support ones.
 Interest groups want to influence or control
policy;
Parties want to control the government
itself.
 Interest groups focus on one issue, where
parties focus on many issues of public
concern.
 Positive Functions of Interest
Groups
 stimulate interest in public
affairs
 represent the views of their
members
 provide information to government
agencies
 serve as a vehicle for political
 Problems with Interest
Groups
 some have influence far out of proportion
to its membership
 Examples:
http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=8332317
 difficult to tell how many people an
interest group represents
 some groups use illegal tactics
 Examples:
PACs (Political Action Committees)
 Political Action Committees exist legally as a means for
corporations, trade unions etc. to raise money & make donations
to candidates for public office - something that they cannot do
directly.
 An organization (INTEREST GROUP) will establish
a PAC for which they solicit financial support.
 In a presidential campaign, PACs contribute to the
parties to support the election campaign expenditure
of the candidate. The amount a PAC can contribute to
a national party is limited to $15,000. Therefore ten
PACs could spend a maximum of $150,000 on a
national party. However, PACs can contribute a lot
more to state and local parties. In some states the
amount is restricted but in others it is not.
 http://www.fec.gov/pubrec/pacronyms/pacronyms.shtml
 http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/money/dems.html
Types of Interest Groups:
Business Groups
Groups That Promote Causes
Labor Groups (unions)
Organizations That Promote The Welfare
Of Certain People
Agricultural Groups (farmers groups)
Professional Groups (occupations requiring
extensive training)
Religious Organizations
Public-Interest Groups (work for the “public good”)
http://usgovinfo.about.com/blorgs.htm