Interest Groups and Public Policy
Discussion Overview
Keep close to Nature’s heart… and break
clear away, once in a while, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.
–John Muir
Interest
groups are non-profit, voluntary organizations that seek to affect
public policy. Although there are a number of ways to classify interest
groups, for the sake of simplicity we shall use this model:
Business/Labor/Professional
Interest Groups: organizations that want to affect financial, public
policy that benefits their members.
Examples:
U.S. Chamber of Commerce, American Medical Association, and American
Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations
Ideological Interest Groups: organizations that advocate public policy based on a set of beliefs.
Example: American Civil Liberties Union
Public Interest Groups: organizations that want to affect public policy that benefits not just the members but also society.
Example: Sierra Club
Single Issue Interest Groups: organizations that advocates one public policy concern.
Examples: Human Rights Campaign
Many
if not most prominent interest groups form political action committees
(PACs). PACs are interest groups that raise funds in order to contribute
money on a political candidate and/or office holder. PACs are limited
on how much money they can contribute. As of the 2019-2020 election
cycle PACs can give each candidate and/or office holder $5000 (CRP,
2019.)
More information about PACs can be found the Center
for Responsible Politicss website.
An
example of an interest group is Boeing Corporation. Boeing Corporation
is a business interest group. According to the Center for Responsible
Politics,
Boeing regularly lobbies Congress to win military contracts and
increase defense spending. Boeing is a major supporter of free trade,
especially in Asia, where it has focused on selling more planes. The
company also lobbies on environmental rules and transportation
regulations, among other issues. Boeing is also a large recipient of
government loan-guarantees, primarily coming from the Export-Import Bank
of the United States. (CRP, 2019) During the 2017-2018 election cycle
the Boeing interest group contributed $3,189,452
to candidates or office holders. This Center for Responsible
Politicss website lists all the candidates and/or office holders that received contributions from the Boeing interest group. In addition, this Center
for Responsible Politicss website lists all of the congressional bills the Boeing interest group advocated a public policy interest.
Directions:
Using the required, academic readings, and supplemental academic
research, please address the following while adhering to the Discussion
Board Rubric:
Select a specific example of public policy from one of the following fields:
Economic policy
An example of economic policy is U.S. budget deficit spending.
Education policy
An example of education policy are the implementation of charter schools.
Environmental policy
An example of environmental policy is the Clean Air Act.
Foreign policy
An example of foreign policy is the interplay between civil liberties and the Patriot Act.
Healthcare policy
An example of healthcare policy is the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare)
Welfare policy
An example of welfare policy is Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).
Select an interest group that advocates public policy change within your example.
Explain the interest groups mission statement or policy of purpose.
Explain the funding of the interest group.
Evaluate the interest groups public policy engagement.
Provide an example of how this interest group affected public policy?
Would you join and actively participate within this organization? Why or why not?
References:
Boundless. (n.d.). Boundless Political Science. Retrieved from https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-politicalscience/chapter/types-of-interest-groups/
Data on Campaign Finance, Super PACs, Industries, and Lobbying. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.opensecrets.org/
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