Organizations formed by individuals who share common interests aiming to influence public policy
interest group
difference between interest groups and political parties
political parties have a broader scope and interest groups have narrower objectives. Interest groups don’t nominate candidates
Roles of interest groups
representing their member’s interests and advocating for policies, educating the public and policymakers, assisting in drafting legislation, persuading officials to support their causes
categories of interest groups
business groups, labor groups, agricultural groups, professional groups, single-issue groups
three components of iron triangles
interest group, congressional committee, bureaucratic agency
grassroots pressure
mobilizing public/members to promote their message through letters, phone calls, petitions, etc
utilizing court system to challenge laws or regulations that are unfavorable to an interest groups’ interests
litigation
engaging in direct interaction with legislators to influence their decisions on specific bills
lobbying
funds raised to support or oppose electoral candidates, issues, and parties
campaign finance
hard money vs soft money
hard money: regulated and directly contributed to candidates, $2500 limit per candidate per election cycle Soft money: less regulated, spent on party activities
