10.7 - Understanding Interest Groups

What is the term for private organizations that share certain views and objectives and work to shape the content or public policy?

• Social Media

• Interest Groups

• Public Policy

• Political Parties

Match the following description with the group it is associated with (see the venn diagram on page 481).

• Interest Group

• Concentrate on all public affairs issues

• Shared Interest

• Unite people for a political purpose

• Political Parties

• Are private organizations

Which of the following is NOT one of the positive aspects of interest groups?

• Provide useful, specialized, detailed information to the govt.

• Add another element to the checks and balances feature

• They represent a small minority of people

• They are vehicles for political participation

Which of the following is NOT one of the negative aspects of interest groups?

• They compete with each other in the public arena

• Influence far out of proportion to their size

• Use tactics that could undermine the system

• Not always in the best interest of the public

​ (a)   are the interest groups for the business community. ​ (b)   are organizations of workers who share the same job.

• Trade associations
• Labor unions

​ (a)   is an example of a popular interest group. ​ (b)   is an example of a labor union.

• NAACP
• AFL-CIO

True or False: An interest group CANNOT file an amicus curiae (friend of the court) brief in a case it is not itself a part of.

• True

• False

​ (a)   is the process by which organized interests groups attempt to affect the decisions and actions of public officials. Lobbyists use ​ (b)   to get their way at the local level and affect public officials. ​ (c)   is another tactic used by lobbyists to create the public attitude.

• Lobbying
• Grass-roots pressures
• Propaganda

True or False: Lobbying and lobbyists are not allowed to meet with or try to influence any of the three branches of government.

• True

• False

True or False: The Abramoff scandal (which saw a member of Congress who took bribes from interest groups via money, donations, etc.) changed the way lobbyists and can work with congress/politicians. The new regulation states that they need to register with the clerk of the House and the secretary of the Senate if they want to meet with members of Congress/their staff.

• True

• False