O 1 single issue groups o 2 ideological groups o what

o 1. Single Issue Groups
o 2. Ideological Groups
o What is the name given to non-economic interest groups that strive for “a collective
good, the achievement of which will not selectively or materially benefit the
membership or activists of the organization?”
▪ Public Interest Groups
● How do collective action problems (including the incentive to free ride) shape the
way in which interest groups try to recruit and retain members?
o I nterest groups may provide selective incentives to members. Selective incentives can be
any private benefit that induces a potential member to join or a current member to stay in
an organization.
o Why do individuals decide to join interest groups? Why, for instance, might I
become a member of AAA even if I’d rather free-ride on the public goods it seeks to
provide?
▪ groups may have selective incentives that are quite powerful in inducing potential
members to join.
● What are some of the most common ways in which interest groups seek to influence
policy?
o Lobbying, influencing elections, fundraising, influencing public opinion
o What is the relationship between interest groups, campaigns, and money?
▪ They try to influence the positions that candidates take on issues and even the platforms
that parties adopt at their conventions. Sometimes they even recruit political candidates.
At the same time, candidates and campaign officials are paying more attention to interest
groups.
o What is a “PAC”?
▪ Political action committees (PACs) are legal mechanisms through which interest groups
funnel contributions to candidates for public office.
o What is the difference between (traditional) lobbying and grassroots lobbying?
▪ Grassroots lobbying is a broad category of lobbying in which people in the general public
try to influence those in government.
o What is an amicus curiae brief? How do interest groups use them to seek to
influence policy?
▪ an amicus brief is filed by a person or group that is not a direct party to a case but wants
to inform the court of its views on how the case should be decided.

● What is an iron-triangle? What is one example of a possible iron triangle today?
How are issue networks different than iron triangles? Which model, according to
the textbook, is the more accurate account of how interest groups influence
government today?
o An iron triangle is a three-way relationship involving a legislative committee (or
subcommittee), an executive agency, and an interest group. An issue network is a
conglomeration of decision makers, activists, and experts in a particular policy area. It is
typically larger, more diverse, and more dynamic than the iron triangle. Today, the issue
network may be a more realistic model of interest group influence in most policy areas.