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A number of changes in interest groups have taken place over the last three or four decades in the United States. The most significant change is the tremendous increase in both the number and type of groups. Political scientists have these categorized interest groups in a number of ways. For example, these groups may advance economic interests, as do labor unions or corporations, while others advance ideological values or the interests of specific subsets of the population.
First, interest groups may take the form of membership organizations, which individuals join voluntarily and to which they usually pay dues. Membership groups often consist of communities that share common issues or concerns, such as religious and ethnic identities or shared disabilities, or membership organizations may unite individuals who share political views and values.
EXAMPLE
The National Rifle Association (NRA) is a membership group consisting of members who promote gun rights (Figure 1). For those who advocate greater regulation of access to firearms, such as background checks prior to gun purchases, Brady: United Against Gun Violence is a membership organization that weighs in on the other side of the issue.
Interest groups may also form to represent a single interest, like a company, a corporate organization, or a government. These groups do not have individual members but rather are offshoots of corporate or governmental entities with a compelling interest to be represented in front of one or more branches of government.
EXAMPLE
Telecommunication companies, such as Verizon and AT&T, and beverage corporations, such as Coca-Cola, register to lobby the government to influence policy in a way that benefits them.Local and state governments also form interest groups to lobby other state or federal government institutions. City governments can band together to oppose unfunded mandates, laws that require them to pay for implementing state or federal policies.
Interest groups also include associations made up of members of the same trade or industry who have similar concerns. These are called trade associations.
EXAMPLE
The American Beverage Association includes Coca-Cola, Red Bull North America, ROCKSTAR, and Kraft Foods. Despite the fact that these companies are competitors, they have common interests related to the manufacturing, bottling, and distribution of beverages, as well as the regulation of their business activities.There is strength in numbers, and if members of a trade association can work together to press the government for tax breaks or eased regulations for an entire industry, they may all benefit. These common goals do not, however, prevent individual association members from hiring professionals to represent their own business or organization to government as well. Indeed, many members of associations are competitors who also seek representation individually before the legislature.
Some interest groups serve the interests of members of specific professions, such as nurses, computer programmers, and writers. These organizations may provide continuing education, certification programs, networking opportunities, and conferences. They may also disseminate information to government and the public and advocate for specific policies. They also may provide benefits such as reduced health insurance rates or discounts on equipment.
EXAMPLE
The American Medical Association consists of approximately a quarter million doctors and medical students. It regularly issues statements on medical issues to the media, lobbies Congress on issues such as opioid addiction and Medicare, provides an online search tool to help people find and read about doctors in their regions, provides educational materials to physicians to help them manage their practices efficiently, and much more.Labor unions, organizations that represent groups of workers, constitute some of the most powerful interest groups in the United States. This is, in part, because they also have strength in numbers.
EXAMPLE
The AFL-CIO (American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations) is the nation’s largest federation of unions. It is made up of 58 unions representing 12.5 million working Americans.Unions advocate not only for higher pay and better benefits but also for safer work environments. As a result of the efforts of the AFL-CIO and their allies, the federal government established the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). As part of the Department of Labor, OSHA establishes and enforces safety standards for private industries.
Unions may also work to advance policies related to the specific industry or field in which its members are employed.
IN CONTEXT
In 2002, President George W. Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) into law. NCLB required national testing of students and provided measures to hold schools and teachers accountable for the performance of their students on these tests. Many teachers opposed these measures. Teachers’ unions, along with parent-teacher organizations and other education-related interests, monitored the initial implementation and ongoing operations of NCLB programs. That law was replaced in 2015 with the Every Student Succeeds Act, due in part to continual lobbying by teachers’ unions who disliked the stronger federal role that NCLB necessitated.
Interest groups and organizations represent both private and public interests in the United States. Private interests usually seek benefits from the government that favor either a single interest or a narrow set of interests. Corporations and government groups may lobby the government for tax exemptions, fewer regulations, or favorable laws that benefit individual companies or industries more generally.
EXAMPLE
The National Federation of Independent Businesses, an organization representing the interests of small businesses, was the lead plaintiff in the first Supreme Court case challenging the Affordable Care Act because of the obligation the law created for employers. The US Conference of Mayors, an organization representing the interests of cities with a population of 30,000 or more, has communicated policy positions on police reform, and election security, among other issues important to their members.Their goal is to promote private goods. Private goods are items individuals can own, including corporate profits. An automobile is a private good; when you purchase it, you receive ownership.
On the other hand, public interest groups attempt to promote public, or collective, goods. Such collective goods are benefits—tangible or intangible—that help most or all citizens. These goods are often produced collectively, and because they may not be profitable and everyone may not agree on what public goods are best for society, they are often underfunded and thus will be underproduced unless there is government involvement.
EXAMPLE
The Tennessee Valley Authority, a government corporation, provides electricity in some places where it is not profitable for private firms to do so.Other examples of collective goods are public safety, highway safety, public education, and environmental protection. With some exceptions, if an environmental interest promotes clean air or water, most or all citizens are able to enjoy the result. Many environmental groups are public interest groups that lobby for and raise awareness of issues that affect large segments of the population.
EXAMPLE
If the Sierra Club persuades Congress to pass legislation that improves national air quality, everyone receives the benefit regardless of whether they are members of the organization or even support the legislation.As the clean air example suggests, collective goods are generally non-excludable, meaning all or most people are entitled to the public good and cannot be prevented from enjoying it. Furthermore, collective goods are generally not subject to crowding, so that even as the population increases, people still have access to the entire public good.
Many public interest groups focus only on one issue, but some address many concerns.
EXAMPLE
U.S. PIRG is a public interest group that represents the public on issues including public health, the environment, and consumer protection.Source: THIS CONTENT AND SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL HAS BEEN ADAPTED FROM OPENSTAX “AMERICAN GOVERNMENT 3E” ACCESS FOR FREE AT openstax.org/details/books/american-government-3e
