Social Groupings and Organized Groups
What do Interest Groups Do?
Lobbying is the process of persuading public officials to take actions favorable to a given organized group. Lobbyists are usually paid employees or hired hands for an interest group. They have access to public officials and present the concerns, agenda, and needs of the interest group. Access is the most important advantage which lobbyists have over ordinary people. Lobbyists build up rapport with public officials over years, often decades. Having the elected official as a college buddy, former business associate, or family member certainly helps.
Having Congress take no action be a successful strategy for an interest group. Thus taking no action is in effect taking an action. It is to keep things as they are. Lobbying takes place with all branches of government.
Lobbying with the judicial branch of government is called lobbying by litigation.
Indirect Lobbying Electioneering is the process of helping a public official get re-elected. Giving money to some campaign is the most effective way in which interest groups can reward politicians who have voted favorably on that interest group's policy agenda.
Propagandizing is the effort by an interest group to pursuade the general public that the interest group is protecting the general interest in its policy agenda. As long as a group, doctors for example, have a favorable image with the general public, it is difficult to pass legislation that seems to be harmful to that group.
Types of Human Organizations
Types of Organized Interest Groups
Economic Groups Farm Groups National Farm Bureau Federation
National Farmers Union
National Cattlemen's Association
Business Groups National Chamber of Commerce
National Federation of Independent Business
National Association of Manufacturers
Committee on Economic Development
American Petroleum Institute
Labor Groups American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO)
United Automobile Workers Union (UAW)
American Federation of State and Municipal Employees (AFSME)
American Federation of Teachers (AFT)
National Education Association (NEA)
Professional Associations American Medical Association
American Bar Association
Association of Trial Lawyers of America
National Association of Realtors
Non-Economic Groups Religious Groups
Ethnic and National Origin
Single Issue Interest Groups National Rifle Association
National Right to Life Committee
Fortune Magazine "Power 25 Survey for 2001"
The Top 25 Interest Groups
October 2, 2002
Fortune Magazine periodically produces a list of the most influential interest groups in Washington, D.C. This is called the Fortune Power 25 Survey. The top 25 interest groups on its Survey for 2001 is listed below . You can find that WEB page at: http://www.fortune.com/lists/power25/index.html
1. National Rifle Association
2. American Association of Retired People (AARP)
3. National Federation of Independent Business
4. American Israel Foreign Affairs Committee
5. Association of Trial Lawyers of America
7. Chamber of Commerce of the United States of America
8. National Beer Wholesalers of America
9. National Association of Realtors
10. National Association of Manufacturers
11. National Association of Homebuilders of the United States
12. American Medical Association
13. American Hospital Association
14. National Education Association of the United States
15. American Farm Bureau Federation
16. Motion Picture Association of America
17. National Association of Broadcasters
18. National Right to Life Committee
19. Health Insurance Association of America
20. National Restaurant Association
21. National Governors' Association
22. Recording Industry Association of America
23. American Bankers Association
24. Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America
25. International Brotherhood of Teamsters
Researching Interest Groups
In researching an interest group, you would want to tell me about the organization you picked. Why did you pick it? What interests does it represent? Many interest groups are trade associations. They represent an entire group (or groups) of businesses, many of which are very powerful corporations by themselves. For example, Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), at their WEB site http://www.mpaa.org/home.htm
, tells you the following: “The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and its international counterpart, the Motion Picture Association (MPA) serve as the voice and advocate of the American motion picture, home video and television industries, domestically through the MPAA and internationally through the MPA. “ (http://www.mpaa.org/about/
) The MPAA has many members. They only list a few, but as you can see by the list, these are huge corporations.
“These members include:
Walt Disney Company;
Sony Pictures Entertainment, Inc.;
Paramount Pictures Corporation;
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp.;
Universal Studios, Inc.; and
Warner Bros. "
On the 2001 Fortune Magazine Power 25 Survey, they are listed as Number 16 in the amount of money (read dollars, $$$) they spend on Congress to lobby for their interests. Each of the Power 25 organizations is an interest group, which lobbies. Most interest groups that lobby have set up Political Action Committees (PACs).
Title: Name of the Organization
Statement of Purpose: Two or three sentences about the main theme or purpose of your paper.
I: General Information
1. Name of Organization
2. When Founded
3. Purpose of Organization
a. who are members (individuals or other organizations or both?)
b. how many members
c. what are the membership dues per year
5. Organizational Structure
a. Local and State Chapters
b. Annual Meeting
c. Executive Committee
e. Paid Staff or Secretariat
i. General Secretary
ii. how many staff members
6. Budget of the Organization
1. Current Issues of Concern Before Congress
2. Recent Legislative Victories
3. Recent Legislative Defeats
III: Lobbying and Money
1. Name of Your Organization's Political Action Committee
2. How much Money Do they Raise and How
3. Who gets their Campaign Contributions?
a. Money given to Republicans
b. Money given to Democrats
c. What Standing Committees of Congress are those who get money on?
4. Who is their chief lobbyist?
5. Evaluation of their Lobbying activities
Bibliography: Do at least 5 entries using the Turabian format.