25. Outside Strategies
grassroots e-mail,
letter, or phone
campaigns
contributing to
election campaigns
getting media
coverage
of their cause
Inside Strategies
meeting with
lawmakers
drafting legislation
providing research
and testimony
taking the
government to court
How it works: in theory
26. Do we have a deal? And they’re off! Gathering forces.
Making introductions. Running ads. Funding trips.
Inside strategies
Outside strategies
How it works: in practice
27. Going right to the source. We still have a deal!
September 2, 2015
Deadline for Congress to
disapprove the deal
passes without action.
Continued
The debate over federal direct student loans pitted well-funded banks and other financial institutions against millions of college students and their parents. Did the banks’ ability to lobby members of Congress and bureaucrats translate into a policy victory?
These data show that in recent years interest groups have spent several billion dollars lobbying the federal government. Does this amount seem surprisingly large or surprisingly small, given what lobbyists do and given the total federal outlays of money?
These data show that in recent years interest groups have spent several billion dollars lobbying the federal government. Does this amount seem surprisingly large or surprisingly small, given what lobbyists do and given the total federal outlays of money?
Lobbying expenditures vary widely. Some influential groups (such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce) spend hundreds of millions of dollars a year, but many other influential groups (such as the NARAL and the Family Research Council) spend relatively little. How can groups have influence over government policy despite spending almost nothing on lobbying?
Many interest groups speak for large numbers of Americans, but some lobby for changes that would benefit only a few people or a single corporation. The Coalition for Luggage Security, for example, has only one member: a company that specializes in shipping travelers’ baggage, which would gain considerable business if the coalition’s lobbying efforts Succeeded.
Different organizational structures have trade-offs. Centralized organizations can be more efficient but don’t tend to learn what their members want. Confederations have a good understanding what their members want but are often beset by conflict as one local chapter’s goals conflict with the goals of another chapter.
Interest group (IG) staff typically have expertise of the policy area or else have experience in Congress, have connections, and the expertise on how government works. This need for connections has led to the revolving door, where people move back and forth between government and lobbying groups.
Interest groups use a variety of tactics to draw attention to their concerns, including events designed to generate media coverage. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), known for its bold media campaigns, stationed a life-size mechanical elephant outside the Ringling Bros. circus to protest the company’s treatment of its elephants. @peta
What real-world examples of free riding can you think of? If one person shows up to a pot luck meal and claims he or she had no food in the house to bring, it works. But if too many people do it, there’s not enough food to go around.
An example that students have often experienced is group work with a common grade. If everyone gets the same grade, then the grade is a public good but individual members have an incentive to slack off (free ride) and hope that a more motivated student picks up the slack and earns them all an A.
The origin of the term free ride comes from the days of streetcars. You were supposed to get on in the front and pay your fare. But mischievous (or poor) children would jump on the back of the streetcar and get a free ride. However, if everyone free rides, then no one does the work to convince lawmakers and the policy does not get passed.
Studies show that people join interest groups either out of a sense of internal obligation or duty, external coercion, or selective incentives.
AAA (formerly the Automobile Association of America) is a wellknown provider of emergency road service, yet few people are aware of its role as an interest group that lobbies for a wide range of policy changes and builds awareness of key transportation issues. #AAA
[For more on each type of strategy see the following slides.]
There are a host of inside strategies. Nearly all interest groups dedicate time to the first three: direct lobbying, drafting legislation and regulations, and offering expertise through research and in hearings and sworn testimony.
Litigation is less common as it is costly and time-consuming. Nonetheless, it can be an effective way of shaping policy.
The American Civil Liberties Union is an interest group that often uses litigation strategies in its efforts to change government policy. Here, members of the ACLU chapter in Washington State announce their filing of an abortion rights lawsuit against several local hospitals. #ACLU
Mass protests such as the 2014 People's Climate March in New York City are intended to attract media attention and demonstrate the depth of public support for a group’s goals.
An interest group’s ability to engage in electioneering depends on how it is organized—specifically, what section of the IRS code applies to the organization. The following table gives details on four common organizations: 501(c) organizations, 527 organizations, PACs, and so-called Super PACs. Therefore, many choose to contribute money to nonprofits organized as 501(c)(4) groups, which can lobby and engage in electioneering as long as their “primary activity” (at least half of their overall activity) is not political.
Although estimates of total campaign spending suggest that donors have tremendous influence over candidates, the reality is more complicated. Contributions don’t buy victories; a substantial amount of campaign cash goes to administrative costs or is distributed across many candidates, and some organizations spend surprisingly little on campaign contributions. How could you use this data to argue against claims that interest groups are all-powerful players in American elections?
Conventional wisdom says that business interest groups have too much power over policy outcomes in Washington. But what do the numbers say?
To address this question, a group of political scientists tracked a series of issues through years of lobbying, congressional debate, legislative action, and implementation by the bureaucracy. Their goal was to determine whether business groups were successful in getting what they want from Congress, particularly when their efforts were opposed by citizen groups or government officials. Here’s what they found:
Source: Marie Hojnacki, Kathleen Marchetti, Frank Baumgartner, Jeff rey M. Berry, David C. Kimball, and Beth L. Leech, “Assessing Business Advantage in Washington Lobbying,” Interest Groups and Advocacy 4 (2015): 206–24.
While many observers credit lobbying by the pharmaceutical industry for policies such as the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit (and its ban on importing medicines), favorable public opinion, the efforts of the AARP, and bureaucrats’ independent judgments probably had greater influence on passing the Drug Benefit Act. @PHRMA @AARP
Interest groups are most successful when their issues do not run against citizen preferences. Bills that are not salient mean that legislators do not have to worry about electoral reprisal. Similarly, issues that do not have entrenched opponents are simple to resolve. Last, no matter what, it is easier to fight change in Washington, D.C., than enact it. The next chapter details how many places in Congress a bill can be killed, and how hard it is to enact a law.
If you have ever heard of the National Turkey Federation, it’s probably because of its participation in the annual presidential “pardoning” of a turkey before Thanksgiving. The federation’s relative anonymity has been beneficial: its effort to increase the amount of turkey served in federally funded school lunches was aided by most Americans’ lack of awareness of the proposal. @TurkeyGal
When scandals surrounding Jack Abramoff came to light in 2005, many Americans considered him a typical lobbyist. Abramoff’s actions were illegal, but the question remains: Are his tactics common in Washington, or was he a rare exception?
Conservative Super PACs, such as the Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC), hold conventions that give candidates a venue to present themselves to conservative activists and donors. @CPAC
While Congress has considered various forms of gun control legislation in recent years, the NRA has been successful at blocking such measures at the federal level and even liberalizing state-level gun laws. Members of the NRA and other gun rights supporters are gathered here in the Texas state capital to rally against stricter limits on firearms. @NRA
President Barack Obama uses the headquarters of the U. S. Chamber of Commerce to propose making the corporate tax code simpler. By having Obama speak at their headquarters, the Chamber signals their strong support for the proposal, in effect lobbying every member of Congress without having to make a single visit to the Capital. @USChamber
