AP Government Study Guide - Interest Groups
Interest Groups
Interest Groups Past and Present: The “Mischiefs of Faction”
-What we call interest groups today were known as ‘factions’ by the founders of the Republic
-The framers needed a way to establish a stable and orderly constitutional system that would also respect the liberty of free citizens and prevent the tyranny of the majority or of a single dominant interest
A Nation of Interests
People form voluntary groups based on issues like gun control or tax reduction to try and influence government (interest groups)
Interest groups are sometimes called ‘special interests’
Social Movements
Interest groups sometimes begin as movements, which consists of many people who are interested in a significant issue, idea, or concern and who are willing to take action to support or oppose it
Examples include the abolitionist, temperance, civil rights, environmental, antitax, animal rights, and women’s rights movements
Types of Interest Groups
-Interest groups vary widely – some are formal (like the National Rifle Association) while others have no formal organization
-Can be categorized into several broad types, but are not mutually exclusive:
1. Economic, including both business and labor
2. Ideological or single-issue
3. Public interest
4. Foreign policy
5. Government
Economic Interest Groups
-Thousands of economic interests: agriculture, consumers, plumbers, airplane industry, landlords, truckers, property owners, etc.
Business
Corporations range from one-person enterprises to vast multinational entities
Large corporations (General Motors, AT&T, Microsoft, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Wal-Mart, etc.) exercise considerable political influence
Small business can have an important voice in public policy
Trade and Other Associations
Businesses with similar interests in gov’t regulations and other issues join together as trade associations
Broadest business trade association is the Chamber of Commerce of the U.S.
Labor
Worker’s associations have a
Interest Groups Past and Present: The “Mischiefs of Faction”
-What we call interest groups today were known as ‘factions’ by the founders of the Republic
-The framers needed a way to establish a stable and orderly constitutional system that would also respect the liberty of free citizens and prevent the tyranny of the majority or of a single dominant interest
A Nation of Interests
People form voluntary groups based on issues like gun control or tax reduction to try and influence government (interest groups)
Interest groups are sometimes called ‘special interests’
Social Movements
Interest groups sometimes begin as movements, which consists of many people who are interested in a significant issue, idea, or concern and who are willing to take action to support or oppose it
Examples include the abolitionist, temperance, civil rights, environmental, antitax, animal rights, and women’s rights movements
Types of Interest Groups
-Interest groups vary widely – some are formal (like the National Rifle Association) while others have no formal organization
-Can be categorized into several broad types, but are not mutually exclusive:
1. Economic, including both business and labor
2. Ideological or single-issue
3. Public interest
4. Foreign policy
5. Government
Economic Interest Groups
-Thousands of economic interests: agriculture, consumers, plumbers, airplane industry, landlords, truckers, property owners, etc.
Business
Corporations range from one-person enterprises to vast multinational entities
Large corporations (General Motors, AT&T, Microsoft, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Wal-Mart, etc.) exercise considerable political influence
Small business can have an important voice in public policy
Trade and Other Associations
Businesses with similar interests in gov’t regulations and other issues join together as trade associations
Broadest business trade association is the Chamber of Commerce of the U.S.
Labor
Worker’s associations have a