Term
|
Definition
| an organization of people with shared policy goals entering the policy process at several points to try to achieve those goals |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| a theory of government and politics emphasizing that politics is mainly a competition among groups, each one pressing for its own preferred policies |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| a theory of government and politics contending that societies are divided along class lines and that an upperclass elite will rule, regardless of the formal niceties of governmental organization |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
- a theory of government and politics contending that groups are so strong that government is weakened
- extreme, exaggerated, or perverted form of pluralism
|
|
|
Term
|
Definition
- a network of groups within the American political system that exercise a great deal of control over specific policy areas
- composed of interest group leaders interested in a particular policy, the government agency in charge of administering that policy, and the members of congressional committees and subcommittees handling that policy
- a.k.a. iron triangles
|
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| all the people who might be interest group members because they share some common interest |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| that part of the potential group consisting of members who actually join |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| something of value (money, a tax write-off, prestige, clean air, and so on) that cannot be withheld from a group member |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| the problem faced by unions and other groups when people do not join because they can benefit from the group's activities without officially joining |
|
|
Term
| Olson's law of large groups |
|
Definition
| advanced by Mancur Olson, a principle stating that "the larger the group, the further it will fall short of providing an optimal amount of a collective good" |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| goods (such as information publications, travel discounts, and group insurance rates) that a group can restrict to those wno pay their annual dues |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| groups that have a narrow interest, tend to dislike compromise, and often draw membership from people new to politics |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| according to Lester Milbrath, a "communication, by someone other than a citizen acting on his own behalf, directed to a governmental decision maker with the hope of influencing his decision" |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
- direct group involvement in the elctoral process
- groups can help fund campaigns, provide testimony, and get members to work for candidates, and some form political action committees
|
|
|
Term
| political action committees (PACs) |
|
Definition
- political funding vehicles created by the 1974 campaign fincance reforms
- a corporation, union, or some other interest group can create a political action committee and register it with the Federal Election Commission, which will meticulously monitor the PAC's expenditures
|
|
|
Term
|
Definition
- legal briefs submitted by a "friend of the court" for the purpose of raising additional points of view and presenting information not contained in the briefs of the formal parties
- attempt to influence a court's decision
|
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| lawsuits permitting a small number of people to sue on behalf of all other people similarly situated |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| a provision found in some collective bargaining agreements requiring all employees of a business to join the union within a short period, usually 30 days, and to remain members as a condition of employment |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
- a state law forbidding requirements that workers must join a union to hold their jobs
- specifically permitted by the Taft-Hartley Act of 1947
|
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| according to Jeffrey Berry, organizations that seek "a collective good, the achievement of which will not selectively and materially benefit the membership or activities of the organization" |
|
|
