13: Interest Groups and Lobbying

Interest or pressure groups are a powerful but often misunderstood feature of American politics. Misunderstood, because they are often decried as being unfair,

yet our democratic system relies heavily on interest group participation.

Interest groups are organizations that seek to influence public policy on all levels of government -from your local, aldermanic offices to the US Capitol- by educating the public on the importance of their cause. A successful interest group pressures, or lobbies legislators to create policies that further their cause.

For example, sustained pressure over decades from LGBTQ+ groups such as the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) led to the Supreme Court's decision Obergefell v. Hodges - effectively federally legalizing same sex marriage in 2015.

Other civil rights advocacy groups are, for example the:

NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People)

Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC)

ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union)

MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund)

Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC)

Native American Rights Fund (NARF)

Black Lives Matter Global Network, to name a few.

Aside from the many additional civil rights groups, lobbying groups can also be formed by major business associations such as the:

US Chamber of Commerce (USCC)

American Medical Association (AMA)

American Federation of Labor, Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO)

National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), among many others.

In the readings and media to follow, learn about how else you could classify the myriad of organized groups in our society, along with what makes these groups so important: that they tend to energize civic society, and help define who has power and how it is exercised. You, too, can be powerful in our political system when you form or join a group!

Additionally, in this learning module, we investigate how interest groups are structured, organizational forms they take, and which methods they employ to influence government decision-making, such as:

- Lobbying

- Funding political campaigns

- Protesting or demonstrating

- Grassroots campaigning

- Commercial advertising

- Testifying in Congress

- Holding teach-ins, etc.

Why are some groups more powerful than others? What are the most successful strategies? How democratic is interest group politics?

In our analyses, we investigate two organizational models: formal strategies, and the newer organizing approaches displayed by groups like Black Lives Matter (BLM).

Challenge yourself in our classroom activity, where we compare and contrast both organizational methods vial role-playing, and in your homework assignment by creating and defending your own, new pressure group.

Student Learning Outcomes

1. Define the role and function of interest groups in the U.S. political system.
2. Differentiate between types of interest groups (e.g., economic, public interest, identity-based, single-issue) and their strategies for influence.
3. Describe and evaluate common lobbying techniques, including direct lobbying, grassroots mobilization, campaign contributions, and issue advocacy.
4. Analyze how interest groups interact with other political institutions, such as Congress, the executive branch, and the courts.
5. Assess the democratic implications of interest group influence, including issues of access, equity, and political representation.
6. Compare raditional hierarchical interest group models with decentralized, movement-based organizing strategies (e.g., Black Lives Matter).
7. Apply course concepts to create a hypothetical interest group and develop an advocacy strategy based on real-world policy issues.
8. Interpret and critique academic literature on interest groups, lobbying, and political power.
9. Engage in reflective discussion about ethical and strategic dilemmas in advocacy work, such as the use of dark money, astroturfing, or microtargeting.