Kelly Influence of interest groups on public policy http://www.publicintegrity.org/2000/09/05/3272/commentary-lawsuit-against-clean-air-act-members-congress (Links to an external site.) One way interest groups influence public policy is simply with the reputation their group (or members) displays.  There are many different ways this can be done but typically these are institutional groups such as the church (178).  This website is an article is about the interest group, House Committee on Energy and Commerce and their hand in a victory in court against the Clean Air Act.  Although there is some conflict in this article as whether or not these lobbyists’ actions were ethical, it shows that well known lobbyists can have great influence on decision making. These men made it a point to have their prestigious law firms posted on the briefs they prepared, a way of trying to show their influence to the cause. Peters describes this as “their actions are legitimated through the prestige of the institution” (178). https://www.whitehouse.gov/photos-and-video/video/limiting-influence-special-interests#transcript (Links to an external site.) This website has the remarks by President Obama about the Disclose Act.  This act would force corporate political advertisers to disclose where they get their funding during the time when their special interests were campaigning.  Although this is generally not about the process of public policy I felt like it is a good example of limiting interest groups of their influence and to what extent the limit has impact.  Peters discusses this idea when he states how important access to the political process and influence is to interest groups and when limited conflict between the two can arise (170-171).  Ideas of corporatism are also within this example.  Corporatism restricts the number on interest groups involved in the policy process (171).  http://www.c-span.org/video/?65467-1/policy-media-strategies (Links to an external site.) One of the most powerful ways interest groups influence public policy is going straight to the public.  Interest groups go out to neighborhoods and businesses or hold forums to spread the word on the topic at hand. Another popular way with interest groups to reach the public is with marches. Protests are also used by interest groups to get their point across. These actions are in Peters’ book where he states that things causing conflict, such as the possibility with protests or marches, are what will bring light to policy needs and potential solutions (174-175).  The website is a video on C-Span on how interest groups and politicians try to get support from the public. Julio WK 2 Websites Discussion Topics:  Influence of interest groups on public policy & Government regulation of business Website #1 presents a government agency’s tool developed to assist the public in dealing with business related regulation. https://www.sba.gov/category/navigation-structure/starting-managing-busine ...

1. Kelly
Influence of interest groups on public policy
http://www.publicintegrity.org/2000/09/05/3272/commentary-
lawsuit-against-clean-air-act-members-congress (Links to an
external site.)
One way interest groups influence public policy is simply with
the reputation their group (or members) displays. There are
many different ways this can be done but typically these are
institutional groups such as the church (178). This website is
an article is about the interest group, House Committee on
Energy and Commerce and their hand in a victory in court
against the Clean Air Act. Although there is some conflict in
this article as whether or not these lobbyists’ actions were
ethical, it shows that well known lobbyists can have great
influence on decision making. These men made it a point to
have their prestigious law firms posted on the briefs they
prepared, a way of trying to show their influence to the cause.
Peters describes this as “their actions are legitimated through
the prestige of the institution” (178).
https://www.whitehouse.gov/photos-and-video/video/limiting-
influence-special-interests#transcript (Links to an external site.)
This website has the remarks by President Obama about the
Disclose Act. This act would force corporate political
advertisers to disclose where they get their funding during the
time when their special interests were campaigning. Although
this is generally not about the process of public policy I felt like
it is a good example of limiting interest groups of their
influence and to what extent the limit has impact. Peters
discusses this idea when he states how important access to the

2. political process and influence is to interest groups and when
limited conflict between the two can arise (170-171). Ideas of
corporatism are also within this example. Corporatism restricts
the number on interest groups involved in the policy process
(171).
http://www.c-span.org/video/?65467-1/policy-media-
strategies (Links to an external site.)
One of the most powerful ways interest groups influence public
policy is going straight to the public. Interest groups go out to
neighborhoods and businesses or hold forums to spread the
word on the topic at hand. Another popular way with interest
groups to reach the public is with marches. Protests are also
used by interest groups to get their point across. These actions
are in Peters’ book where he states that things causing conflict,
such as the possibility with protests or marches, are what will
bring light to policy needs and potential solutions (174-175).
The website is a video on C-Span on how interest groups and
politicians try to get support from the public.
Julio
WK 2 Websites Discussion
Topics: Influence of interest groups on public policy &
Government regulation of business
Website #1 presents a government agency’s tool developed to
assist the public in dealing with business related regulation.
https://www.sba.gov/category/navigation-structure/starting-
managing-business/starting-business/business-law-
regulations (Links to an external site.)
The Small Business Administration has a comprehensive
website designed to educate and assist prospective and current
small business owners, entrepreneurs and the public with
insightful information related to starting and maintaining a

3. small business. In addition, the site provides guidance and
tools to find, interpret, navigate and take advantage of
government regulations. The uninitiated can be overwhelmed
by the seemingly infinite amount of laws and regulations. With
that in mind, the SBA website can be very useful to small
business entrepreneurs to learn and take advantage government
programs. Some of the tools provided in the site are contract
writing, business plan writing, and how to apply for a small
business loans. . In essence, the SBA website can be a useful
resource to facilitate navigation through the challenges
associated with starting a small business.
Website #2 discusses the positive side of government regulation
of business
http://www.governmentisgood.com/articles.php?aid=21&p=2 (L
inks to an external site.)
The Government Is Good website has defenders of the public
sector point out the benefits enjoyed by our society associated
with government regulations. Some of these benefits far exceed
the costs to most businesses. Although some of these policies
may have a negative impact on some businesses’ profits and
growth, they establish order and provide direction toward
having a better society. For instance, environmental regulations
ensure drinkable water and breathable air for all of us. Another
illustration encompasses consumer and workplace regulations
that protect millions of people from harm. Lastly, minimum
wage laws help raise families out of poverty. In essence, and
in most cases government regulation has allowed American
society to be safer and healthier, and has created greater
economic security and economic equality.
Website #3 presents an article that briefly intertwines the
influence of interest groups on public policy and touches on the
government regulation of business.
http://www.economist.com/node/21547789 (Links to an external
site.)Over-Regulated America, The Economist, February 18,
2012

4. The Economist magazine is a comprehensive source of various
opinions on diverse subject areas, including interest groups and
government regulation. The author of the article argues that
regulations have become too complex and outlines that
regulations must be kept simple because they are more cost
effective to the government and the public. However, the
article presents that the complexity we find in American laws is
driven by to two factors; lawmakers and lobbyists. In one hand,
lawmakers want to enact laws to cover every situation. On the
other hand, lobbyists serve as the strategists for special interest
groups by seeking special favors. Peters (170) shares that
special interest groups just look at a narrower and more specific
view of the overall regulation or law. In essence, the author’s
vision endorses simpler regulation in order to allow regulators
ensure the laws are followed.
Julio, Alloe
WK2 Key Ideas
1- Problems of Administrative Structure: United States (Peters,
pages 137-139)
According to Peters (138) there is a wide array of types of
organizations in the United States bureaucracy. Among them,
the Department of Defense stands out due to its size and
organizational structure. The DoD composition of a military
and a civilian workforce can be a clear representation of
bureaucratic and political administrative structures. The
military workforce tends to be representative of a more political
approach. This is because military members have short term
positions within various DoD agencies in order to network for
their next assignment. In addition, since the military workforce
takes a more nomadic approach because they have term limits to
their assignments. In contrast, the civilian workforce tends to
follow a more bureaucratic structure by providing a more
sedentary workforce. This provides a sense of constancy to the
department. Both workforces support the same objective, but

5. their responsibilities vary in nature.
Bureaucracy and Interest Groups (Peters, pages 169-171)
Peters (169) opens this section establishing that the decisions
stemming from the conflict between “…the demands of interest
groups and the role of bureaucracy…” as a cornerstone of
government. In other words, intervention by bureaucrats is
essential for the government to function. Interest groups
intervene in the decision-making process to instigate and point
government servants toward their group goals. Lobbyists tend
to be skilled operators representing special interest groups.
They have the tools and know-how of the legislative process in
order to gather support from government servants. Their goal is
generally to make cater to their special interest group by
influencing slight changes to bills prior to becoming law. These
changes to laws tend to benefit the special interest group
represented.
A recent example of special interest groups in the news are
some of the communities following Colorado’s legalization of
marijuana. This has led to an energized debate of the pros and
cons of marijuana legalization in many states. The debates are
generally composed of new tax revenue, the cost of regulation,
enforcement, and public safety.
3- Competition among Agencies (Peters, pages 202-204)
Another intriguing concept presented by Peters (203) is that of
bureaucratic competition. Peters argues that this type of
competition may affect government performance and/or lack of
coherence. Agencies generally have to compete or meet goals
set by their directorate or manager. Ultimately, many
government agencies need to justify their existence and/or
demonstrate their need for money for future budgets. As a
continuation of the example of the legalization of marijuana,

6. there are a handful of government agencies competing and
arguing for their own interests. For instance, the tax
department seeks to get money out of taxes generated by the
new cash crop. Law enforcement is going to be concerned as to
how many plants of marijuana are a legal amount to have in the
backyard of a house or how to measure the level of sobriety
when operating a motor vehicle. These are outcomes of when
marijuana becomes legalized in the local area. Agencies, with
varying objectives, find themselves competing for position in
order to gain budgetary visibility to address and fund the issues
associated with legalizing marijuana.
Response
The discussion of the key idea on Bureaucracy in the public
sector is well developed with a consistent flow of ideas. The
discussion present a cross-cutting point of view of the issues
surrounding the public sector. The economic part and the role of
the competition of the existing agencies happen to dictate the
development in the public sector. Despite the smooth flow of
key ideas and development of the point in an independent
manner, there are some minor problems that prevent the trust of
the reader.
The argument draws it references from the class text but fails to
give the in-text citation making the entire argument subject to
doubts. The citation techniques such as APA and MLA are not
used to support the argument that are borrowed from the text
and other academic sources. However, the flow of the idea
happens to be perfect for more example used from the real
world scenario. Generally, the argument forms a good
discussion that seeks to inform and enlighten.
B. Debra
2 Key Ideas

7. 1- Organization by area served, Peters, location 3184-3270
Organization by area served varies greatly between countries
and tends to be divided by the degree of centralization (2010,
Loc 3184). Peters identifies two options for addressing the
challenge or managing territories; these include controlling
policy implementation through the central government and
implementation through administrative means. Implementation
and control of policies through centralization takes the form of
intermediary representatives, commonly referred to as prefects.
The prefectoral systems tend to be more common in France,
Italy, and Japan (2010, Loc 3196). The more decentralized
version of policy implementation is commonly found in the
United States as well as other countries. This can be seen
through state and local government enforcing national policies;
however there are challenges with this type of governance as
well. These challenges include the way that policies are
interpreted, the way they are implemented, and to some extent if
they will be implemented (2010, Loc 3233).
Peters also discusses how decentralization can also be viewed as
a challenge by the public due to the increased size of
government, increased expenditures, and/or limited services.
Interestingly, the decentralization of government seems to be
intended to more efficiently support the areas served, even if
the impression is quite the opposite (2010, Loc 3270). The
decentralization is also intended to better support the cultural
differences amongst the public, but this again may not always
be interpreted to be the most effective or efficient.
2- Social movements and the bureaucracy, Peters, location
4506-4518
Social movements are discussed in terms of their similarities
and differences as interest groups. These types of interest
groups vary from conventional interest groups in that they tend

8. to be short-lived, focusing on a single issue; focus on social,
non-economic issues; and are less stable and institutionalized
(2010, Loc 4506). These groups also differ in that they do not
tend to interact directly with the government. Not all social
movements follow the differences previously identified. Peters
recognizes the environmental movement with some interest
groups that behavior conventionally and have remained relevant
over a longer period of time (2010, Loc 4518). Similarly, it
would seem that there are some gender equality rights interest
groups which would fall into this same category.
3- The possession of managerial skills, Peters, location 4832-
4882
Peters distinguishes managerial skills as more relevant to public
bureaucrats rather than politicians due to the need to manage
governmental departments (2010, Loc 4832). Although specific
skills are not identified, bureaucrats tend to require strong
managerial skills over their programs and organizations as they
are held accountable by politicians and the public at large. The
accountability of these bureaucrats is often difficult to measure
because most do not produce, but rather provide a service
(2010, Loc 4857).
Changes in assessing performance within the public sector have
unfortunately lead to some challenges. Responses to these
challenges have been “directed at producing better internal
management and enhanced capacity for control from the center”
(2010, Loc 4869). Finally, Peters notes that other challenges
exist due to public and private sector collaborations to provide
services (2010, Loc 4882). This seems to be a double-edged
sword situation though because as government organization face
reduced budgets, this public-private sector collaboration is one
of the primary ways to continue offering certain services.
Response

9. The argument presented in the discussion of the key idea with
that aim of elaborating the issues in the text. It is evident that
the topic might be confusing but still you were on track
developing three key ideas. The citation that was used is widely
represented in order to maintain the acknowledgement of the
source of the information. However, the class text has not been
widely sued in the development of the argument. Furthermore,
the flow of the ideas from one part of the key idea and between
the sentences depict an in-depth understanding of the public
policy.
Moreover, the order of the topics is instrumental in summing up
all the points with the evaluation of the managerial skills.
Management skill are considered important in the development
of the decision in the public sector. Also, the excellent use of
the examples makes the argument more elaborative and self-
explanatory especially for a layman. Generally, the presented
argument adds value to the understanding text learned in class
room scenario.