352 Chapter 10Chapter 10 || Interest GroupsInterest Groupsthat employ former members of Congress or congressional staff ) may also have inside
information on the kinds of policies that are likely to be enacted in the House or Senate.
Interest groups with dues-paying members (such as the Sierra Club) can poll them to
find out what they would like government to do. All of this information can be deployed
to persuade elected officials or bureaucrats about the merits of a group’s or a firm’s
demands (as well as the political consequences of inaction) and offer ready-made policy
solutions to the problems the group has identified.
Consider the AARP, whose website offers a vast array of research and analyses,
including information about seniors’ part-time employment, how people invest their
401(k) retirement accounts, and a comparison of long-term care policies in Europe and
the United States.^21 The AARP’s lobbyists use this research when arguing for policy
changes in their public testimony and in private meetings with members of Congress
and congressional staff. And they hire former members of Congress and bureaucrats
so they are well informed about the preferences of those inside government. However,
only a few interest groups can match the AARP’s wealth of expertise and resources.
Individual lobbyists also vary in what they offer to a group or corporation. Former
members of Congress might know a lot about policy options and the preferences of
their former colleagues but be less informed about public opinion or the business
challenges faced by the firm that hires them to lobby. In-house lobbyists might know
a lot about the firm they work for but much less about congressional preferences. And
an interest group’s policy expert might know everything there is to know about current
government policies in some areas but know nothing about how to sell new proposals to
a skeptical member of Congress.“Why
Should
I Care?”
When you think of a lobbyist, don’t imagine a person in an expensive suit carrying a
briefcase of cash (or a campaign contribution). More often, people become lobbyists
because they believe in the goals of the group they represent. And they generally don’t
wear expensive suits. Understanding who lobbyists really are, and the boundaries
of what they can really do, is key to evaluating whether or not they have too much
influence in American politics.Getting Organized
A new interest group’s first priority is to get organized, which involves raising the money
needed to hire staff, rent an office, and set up a website, and formulating policy goals and
a lobbying strategy. In some cases, a lobbying firm is hired to perform these jobs. Once
organized, the group must continue to attract funds for ongoing operations. These tasks
are not easy. Even if a group of people (or corporations) shares the same goals, it may be
challenging to persuade them to donate time or money to the lobbying operation.The Logic of Collective Action
Research has found that collective action problems arise when a group of individuals
(or corporations) has an opportunity to make itself better off through the cooperative
provision of public goods. For interest groups, the public good in question would beEXPLAIN HOW SUCCESSFUL
INTEREST GROUPS OVERCOME
COLLECTIVE ACTION PROBLEMScollective action problem
A situation in which the members
of a group would benefit by working
together to produce some outcome,
but each individual is better off
refusing to cooperate and reaping
benefits from those who do the work.Full_11_APT_64431_ch10_340-373.indd 352 16/11/18 10:25 AM