Interest Groups: Crash Course Government and Politics #42

Summary

This Crash Course episode explores interest groups in American politics, explaining their role in shaping policies and influencing government. It discusses how these groups, particularly wealthy ones, can dominate the political landscape, leading to debates on the impact on democracy. The concept of the 'iron triangle' and the distinction between interest groups, political parties, and PACs are also highlighted.

Takeaways

• 🗣️ Interest groups are organized groups of individuals that make policy-related appeals to government, not just those who put money in banks for interest.
• 💡 Interest groups aim to shape policies by mobilizing voters or exerting direct pressure on elected officials and gather information for lawmakers.
• 🏛 Interest groups are most likely to focus their efforts on influencing Congress, although they can also target bureaucratic agencies.
• 🔗 The term 'iron triangle' refers to the relationship between interest groups, Congress, and the bureaucracy, where they often collaborate.
• 📜 Interest groups can provide valuable information to lawmakers, sometimes even drafting the language that becomes part of bills and laws.
• 💼 Wealthy interest groups often have more resources to offer, such as funding for research and information, compared to less wealthy groups.
• 🤔 The influence of interest groups on American democracy is controversial, with debates on whether they balance each other out or crowd out less powerful voices.
• 🎓 Wealthy individuals and groups are often better educated and have more resources to influence policy, potentially skewing democratic representation.
• 📊 Studies, such as those in 'Affluence & Influence' by Martin Gilens, suggest that Congress is more likely to enact laws that favor the wealthy.
• 🚫 Interest groups are not political parties, which exist to elect candidates, nor are they the same as PACs, which focus on campaign funding and elections.
• 📣 Interest groups offer an additional avenue for individuals to participate in politics and have their voices heard beyond just election times.

Q & A

What is the main topic of this Crash Course episode?

The main topic of this episode is interest groups and their influence on American politics.

What does the term 'interest group' refer to in the context of this script?

In this context, an 'interest group' refers to an organized group of individuals that make policy-related appeals to the government.

What are the two main functions of interest groups when interacting with the government according to the script?

The two main functions are shaping policies by mobilizing voters or putting direct pressure on elected officials, and gathering information to provide for elected officials, sometimes even writing bills for them to pass into laws.

Why do interest groups focus on a particular branch of government?

Interest groups focus on Congress because it is where they can exert the most pressure and influence through contributions and support.

What is the term used to describe the relationship between interest groups, Congress, and the bureaucracy?

The term used is 'iron triangle'.

How does the American Petroleum Institute represent the oil industry in the context of interest groups?

The American Petroleum Institute, along with individual oil and gas companies, represents the oil industry, which has a significant interest in legislation and regulations due to its highly regulated nature.

Why might interest groups be more effective providing information to agencies rather than directly to Congress?

Interest groups can be more effective providing information to agencies because they often have more resources and funding to conduct research and provide valuable information that agencies may not be able to afford.

What is the difference between an interest group and a political party according to the script?

An interest group exists to influence policies made by elected officials, while a political party exists to get candidates elected.

How does the script differentiate between interest groups and PACs (Political Action Committees)?

PACs are organizations that collect and distribute campaign funds and information, focusing on elections, whereas interest groups focus on influencing policies and can give money to PACs or even form their own PACs.

What is the pluralism argument in favor of interest groups as presented in the script?

The pluralism argument suggests that if all interest groups are free to compete for influence, they will balance each other out, leading to policies that result from thoughtful compromise.

What is the main criticism of interest groups presented in the script?

The main criticism is that interest group politics can diminish American democracy because some groups, particularly those representing the wealthy, are so powerful that they can crowd out other voices.

How does the script suggest wealthy interest groups may have more influence than others?

The script suggests that wealthy interest groups have more influence due to their greater access to resources, better education, ability to disseminate views more articulately, and more time to devote to political participation.

What evidence does the script present to support the claim that wealthy interest groups have more influence?

The script cites the book 'Affluence & Influence' by Martin Gilens, which shows that Congress is more likely to enact laws that respond to the interests of the wealthy than the poor.

Outlines

00:00

🗨️ Interest Groups in American Politics

This paragraph introduces the topic of interest groups in the American political system. Craig, the host, humorously addresses the audience's anticipation for a discussion on the role of money in politics. He clarifies that interest groups are not simply people who earn interest on their bank deposits, but organized individuals making policy-related appeals to the government. The paragraph highlights the two main functions of interest groups: shaping policies by mobilizing voters or pressuring elected officials, and gathering information to assist elected officials, sometimes even drafting legislation. The focus is primarily on Congress, with a brief mention of the potential influence on the bureaucracy. The concept of the 'iron triangle' is introduced, describing the relationship between interest groups, Congress, and the bureaucracy.

05:02

💼 Wealth and Influence in Interest Groups

This paragraph delves into the controversy surrounding interest groups, particularly their influence on American democracy. Craig sets the stage for a debate by introducing two clones with opposing views. The clone with a tie argues that interest groups are beneficial for democracy, promoting pluralism and providing opportunities for participation beyond elections. The clone without a tie counters that the current system favors the wealthy, whose voices are louder due to their resources, education, and time for political engagement. The discussion includes a reference to the book 'Affluence & Influence' by Martin Gilens, which shows that Congress tends to enact laws that favor the wealthy. The paragraph concludes with a reflection on the role of interest groups in providing a platform for diverse voices in politics.

Keywords

💡Interest Groups

Interest groups are organized entities of individuals who make policy-related appeals to the government. They are central to the video's theme as they significantly influence American politics. The script explains that these groups can shape policies by mobilizing voters or exerting direct pressure on elected officials, and they also gather and provide information crucial for policy-making.

💡Policy Shaping

Policy shaping refers to the influence interest groups have on the creation and direction of policies. It is a key concept in the video, illustrating how interest groups can sway policies in their favor either through mobilizing public support or by directly influencing politicians. The script mentions this in the context of interest groups' attempts to affect government actions.

💡Political Clout

Political clout denotes the influence or power that a group or individual has in politics, often stemming from their size or resources. The video discusses how the size of an interest group's membership can lend it political clout, thereby affecting its capacity to influence government decisions.

💡Iron Triangle

The term 'iron triangle' is used in the video to describe a relationship between interest groups, congress, and the bureaucracy. It is a concept that encapsulates the interconnected influence these three entities have on policy-making. The script uses this term to explain the dynamics of how interest groups can affect legislation and regulation through their interactions with both political and administrative branches.

💡Bureaucracy

Bureaucracy, in the context of the video, refers to the administrative agencies of the government, which are often targeted by interest groups for their ability to implement regulations. The script points out that interest groups can provide valuable information to these agencies, which may lack the resources to gather such data themselves.

💡Pluralism

Pluralism, as discussed in the video, is the idea that multiple interest groups competing for influence leads to a balanced and representative democracy. It is a foundational concept in the debate over the role of interest groups in American politics, suggesting that a variety of groups can check and balance each other's power.

💡Participation

Participation in this video refers to the involvement of individuals in the political process, particularly through joining interest groups. It is highlighted as a democratic value, allowing individuals to have a say in policy-making beyond the electoral process. The script emphasizes the importance of participation in maintaining a healthy democracy.

💡Wealth and Influence

Wealth and influence are key concepts in the video's discussion of the potential imbalance in the political system. The script argues that wealthy individuals and groups have more resources to influence politics, which can lead to policies that favor their interests over those of the less affluent.

💡Political Action Committees (PACs)

PACs are organizations that collect and distribute campaign funds and information, focusing on elections. The video distinguishes PACs from interest groups, noting that while interest groups aim to influence policy, PACs are more directly involved in the electoral process. The script uses PACs as an example to illustrate the disproportionate influence of wealthy interests.

💡Regulations

Regulations are rules or directives made by bureaucratic agencies, which can be as influential as laws. The video explains that interest groups often focus on influencing regulations because they can have a significant impact on industries. The script points out that wealthy interest groups are particularly effective in this area due to their resources.

💡Democracy

Democracy is the underlying theme of the video, with a focus on the role of interest groups within a democratic system. The script explores the debate over whether interest groups enhance or undermine democracy, discussing the potential for both balanced representation (through pluralism) and the dominance of wealthy interests.

Highlights

Interest groups are organized groups of individuals making policy-related appeals to government.

Interest groups do not need to meet in person and often have a membership that gives them political clout.

Interest groups primarily shape policies by mobilizing voters or pressuring elected officials.

Gathering information for elected officials is a key role of interest groups, sometimes even writing bills for them.

Interest groups are most likely to focus on Congress, exerting pressure there.

The bureaucracy can also be a target of interest group pressure, especially due to the cost and difficulty of gathering information.

The term 'iron triangle' refers to the relationship between interest groups, Congress, and the bureaucracy.

Interest groups often provide information and support to Congress, and sometimes even draft the language of bills.

The practice of interest groups writing bills is more common at the state and local level due to limited staff and resources.

Interest groups can influence policy by providing information to bureaucratic agencies, which is often more cost-effective than lobbying Congress.

Interest groups are not political parties, which exist to elect candidates, but rather influence the policies made by elected officials.

Interest groups are distinct from political action committees (PACs), which collect and distribute campaign funds and information.

The influence of interest groups is controversial, with debates on whether they enhance or undermine democracy.

Proponents argue that interest groups promote pluralism and balance each other out, leading to thoughtful compromise in policy.

Critics argue that interest groups diminish democracy by allowing the wealthy to have a louder voice and crowd out others.

Studies show that Congress is more likely to enact laws that respond to the interests of the wealthy than the poor.

Interest groups provide an avenue for participation in politics beyond elections, allowing individuals to influence policy continuously.

The controversy around interest groups highlights the importance of pluralism and participation in shaping policies.

Transcripts

Hello, I'm Craig and this is Crash Course Government and Politics and today we're going

to talk about something almost every American has an opinion on: interest groups. Now if

you've been watching these episodes and reading the comments you might be thinking that we've

been trying to avoid the issue of money in politics and the role of special interests

in the U.S. political system. We have. If you are one those people that wants to talk

about money in politics, this episode will not disappoint you. I'm kidding, I know that

some of you will still be disappointed. But mainly because I'm still not John Green.

[Theme Music]

So before we get into how interests groups influence American politics, let's define

what we mean by interest groups. Groups of people who put money in banks and gain interest.

That's not what we mean. An interest group is an organized group of individuals that

make policy-related appeals to government. Now, interest groups don't actually have to

meet in person, in fact in the case of very large interest groups it would be almost impossible

to get them together in a room. But most interest groups have a membership and often it's the

size of the membership that gives the group's political clout.

Political scientists tell us that there are 2 main things that interest groups do when

they interact with the government. First, they try to shape policies, which they can

do by mobilizing voters or by putting direct pressure on elected officials. The second

and probably more important thing that interest groups do is gather information they can provide

for elected officials. Some would characterize this gathering of information as interest

groups writing bills for elected officials to pass into laws. So interest groups are

most likely to focus on a particular branch of government and I'll give you 3 guesses which one.

No not the supreme court even though with only 9 members it would be the most efficient

way for an interest group to exert pressure. Punching is most efficient way for me to exert

pressure onto an eagle. And not the executive branch because if you remember, the president

has lots of professional people to advise him and since he can only serve two terms,

he's less susceptible to pressure that way. That leaves congress, which is the answer!

That's where the interest groups exert their pressure. But wait, what about the bureaucracy?

Can't bureaucrats also be the target of interest group pressure? Yes, in fact they can mainly

because interest groups, especially if they're well funded, can supply information that is

either too costly or too difficult for congressmen or bureaucratic agencies to get. But adding

the fourth group messes up the whole three guesses three branches bit I was trying to do.

And guesses are fun. Let's go to the Thought Bubble.

The combination of interest groups, congress, and the bureaucracy are sometimes called an

"iron triangle" which sounds a lot cooler than it is. Actually it's pretty cool, unless

you're talking about the neighborhood in Queens near where the Mets play in which case my

previous statement still stands. Anyway, in a political iron triangle, not only do interest

groups help out congress through contributions and support, they also provide congressmen

with information. Some might say that interest groups don't just provide information, they

actually write the bills that become laws. And it is true that interest groups often

have lawyers who propose language that can make it into bills and laws. But this is much

more likely to happen on the state and local level where legislators don't have the staff

resources to do the research behind bills. In fact, the practice of interest groups writing

bills for state legislature is depressingly common. Given that congressmen are pretty

busy trying to get re-elected, it's not surprising that they will be grateful for information from interest groups.

But what about bureaucracies? They're supposed to be made up of experts and they don't have

to run for re-election, right? Well they are, and they don't, but information is really

really costly, and often bureaucratic agencies are just not as well-funded as an interest

group. The oil industry is represented by the American Petroleum Institute as well as

individual oil and gas companies. Because it's highly regulated, the oil industry has

a big interest in seeing legislation and regulations they like passed. But more important here

is the fact that the oil and gas industry has a lot of money money money money - way

more money than any particular federal agency, so it can spend money on research and provide

information that the agencies often can't. Thanks Thought Bubble.

One more thing about interest groups and bureaucracies: There's a big temptation to think

that wealthy interests spend their money providing campaign contributions and information to

Congressmen, and this does happen. But they can often be more effective providing information to agencies

and writing regulations rather than the laws. As we've mentioned before, regulations are

just as important as laws and for many industries, even more so. That's why you'll see a lot

of interest group efforts spent lobbying bureaucratic agencies as well as Congress.

Before we get into the question of whether or not interest groups are destroying American

democracy, I want to clarify two things that interest groups are not: First off, an interest

group is not a political party. As you remember, political parties exist to get candidates

elected. Interest groups exist to influence the policies that those elected officials

make. Interest groups are also not the same as political action committees or PACs. A

PAC is an organization that collects and distributes campaign funds and information, and therefore

is concerned with elections. Interest groups can give money to PACs and they can even form

their own PACs, but they aren't exactly the same thing.

Okay, so now the controversial issue with interest groups. Do they have too much influence?

To sort this out, I'm going to need some help from some friends, and by friends I mean clones,

which aren't my friends. Let's head to the Clone Zone! Hey, here we are! Clone Zone!

It's just like the regular zone except that thing's gone and there's a graphic. So today,

clone with the tie is going to argue that interest groups are good for American democracy

and clone without the tie is going to argue that they're bad. He also has bad fashion sense. Okay, go.

Clone with a tie: The main argument in favor of interest groups has to do with pluralism.

If all interest groups are free to compete to influence officials, then they'll balance

each other out. It'll be cool. The idea of incorporating lots of groups goes back at

least as far as James Madison. In the Federalist Papers, Madison argued for extending the sphere

in American politics and encouraging more and more factions. The theory was that the

more groups there were, the less likely that any one group could gain a corrupting influence

over the government. Sort of like the idea of the wisdom of crowds or Condorcet's jury

theorem. With more interest groups providing more information, we will get policies that

are the result of thoughtful compromise.

Another argument for interest groups is that they offer more opportunity for participation

in politics. Elections only happen every two years, on the federal level at least, but

policy gets made all the time, or at least, it's supposed to. By joining an interest group,

an individual can push for a policy that care about all the time, not just at election time.

And isn't participation the essence of democracy? I think yes.

Clone without a tie: Sure, it's great to have more voices involved in policy making as long

as each voice is powerful enough to be heard. In the current system, that is just not the case.

Interest group politics diminishes American democracy because some interest groups are

so powerful that their voices are able to crowd out all the others. And in America today,

the people with the loudest voices are the wealthy! (loudly) And me right now!

And it's not only because the wealthy have more money to give to politicians; although

that does help. Obviously, people who are really poor can't offer campaign contributions,

but there are plenty of advocates for them. But in America, the wealthy have other resources

that the poor just can't bring to bear. Like money! Lotsa, lotsa, money! They tend to be

better educated, so they have access to more information, and the ability to disseminate

their views more (stumbling over the word) articulately. And just as important, wealthy

people have more time to devote to political participation than the poor.

Clone with a tie: Sure, what you're saying makes sense, but do you have any proof? I

mean, there are plenty of laws protecting poor people. What about the earned income tax credit?

Clone without a tie: Well, I have a chart. Clone with a tie: Oh.

Clone without a tie: You can see that the number of PACs, while not exactly the same

thing as interest groups, has grown an awful lot since the mid-1970s. Corporate interests,

which by and large represent wealthy people, vastly outnumber the groups representing working

people, like labor and cooperative groups. By numbers alone, wealthy interest groups

would seem to have more power than other groups. But that's not all. A series of studies that

culminated in the book Affluence & Influence by Martin Gilens shows pretty definitively

that Congress is much more likely to enact laws that respond to the interests of the

wealthy, than the poor. It's not that they never took poor people's interests into account,

it's just that they are much, much more likely to make policies that favor the rich. Is that

the essence of democracy? I think no.

Wheezy: Thanks you beautiful clones. So there you have the basics of interest groups in

America and why they are so controversial. I hope that you now have a better of what

interest groups are and what they are not and how they work to influence policy in government,

which is their main function in the American political system. You should also know what

the Iron Triangle is and why people complain so much about interest groups in America today,

other than they haven't had their coffee yet. Where's my coffee?!?

Thank you. But I also hope that you understand the idea of pluralism, it's powerful idea

and one that if taken seriously, shows the importance of participation in politics.

This is empty. And that's ultimately what interest groups do for us. They give us another

avenue to have our voices heard and contribute to the policies that shape our lives. Thanks

for watching. I'll see you next time.

Crash Course Government and Politics is produced in association with PBS Digital Studios. Support

for Crash Course U.S. Government comes from Voqal. Voqal supports nonprofits that use

technology and media to advance social equity. Learn more about their mission and initiatives

at voqal.org. Crash Course is made with the help of all these very special interests. Thanks for watching.