POS2041

Expanded _______ regulation in the 1970s in areas such as automobile safety and health care led to the growth in interest groups

federal

The massive increase in the number of interest groups can be traced to the

1970s

Lobbyists are often likely to be

former government employees.

Over the past forty years, the number of interest groups in the United States has

increased enormously

According to the textbook authors, the explosion of interest group activity in the United States has been the result of the

expansion of the role of government.

Interest groups were heavily involved in the recent Michigan affirmative action cases. Some groups sponsored the lawsuit; others filed amicus curiae briefs for both sides. All of these groups were using which interest group tactic?

Litigation

Which of the following are the requisite parts of a so-called iron triangle?

executive agency, a congressional committee or subcommittee, and an interest group

Which of the following is true about the so-called New Politics movement?

The movement is made up of upper-middle-class professionals and intellectuals for whom the civil rights and antiwar movements were formative experiences

Another name for lobbying is

petitioning

The free-rider problem occurs because:

the benefits of a group’s actions are broadly available and cannot be denied to nonmembers

True or False Interest groups have been the most successful way to politically mobilize the poor and working classes in the United States

False

What is the primary variable for predicting the likelihood of joining an interest group?

Having a higher income and education

Successful interest groups quickly become

bureaucratized

True or False As a result of the McCain-Feingold reforms of 2002, political action committees are no longer restricted in the amounts of money they may donate to candidates

false

Grandparents, tall people, and undergraduates are all examples of

potential Interest Groups

Which of the following is a main theoretical assumption of pluralism?

Competition among interests will produce balance, with all interests regulating each other.

Which of the following Supreme Court cases illustrates the use of litigation by an interest group?

Webster v. Reproductive Health Services

Public interest groups differ from other types of interest groups in that:

they claim to serve the common good, not just their own particular interests

Parties with a direct interest in a regulatory rule or decision are often termed

stake holders

Interest groups are permitted to spend as much money as they want on issue advocacy during a campaign season, as long as they:

do not coordinate their efforts with a candidate’s own campaign organization

What distinguishes lobbying from other strategies of influence?

Lobbyists try to exert pressure directly on government officials themselves

Which of the following is NOT a key organizational component of interest groups?

newsletter and Web site

In recent years, the religious right has had a great effect on American politics through

grass roots mobilization

The solidary benefits of interest groups include:

friendship and consciousness-raising

Which of the following issues is not part of the agenda of the New Politics movement

industrial deregulation

True or False: In order to increase enrollment, interest groups try to provide members with benefits that are unavailable to anyone else.

True

A loose, informal relationship of public officials, interest groups, and activists who are all concerned with the same policies is called:

issue network

A grassroots lobbying campaign occurs:

when an interest group mobilizes its members and their families throughout the country to write their representatives in support of the group’s position

The Christian Coalition is best described as

an ideological group

True or False: The American Bar Association is a good example of a labor group.

False

Why is it important for interest groups to offer selective benefits?

It is necessary to limit the extent of the free-rider problem.

True or False: The theory of pluralism states that all interests should be free to compete for influence and the result will be compromise and moderation

True

Approximately how many members does AARP have?

39 million

Which of the following statements best describes the relationship between New Politics forces and the courts during the 1970s and 1980s?

New Politics forces made significant use of the courts during the 1970s and 1980s and judicial decisions were instrumental in advancing their goals

A full page, fully paid spread in the New York Times publicizing a major oil company is best described as:

institutional advertising

The major organizational factors shared by most interest groups are:

leadership, money, an agency or office, and members

When membership in an organization allows for a reduction in the price of museum tickets, it is called a:

material benefit

Which of the following groups has had the greatest success with a strategy of litigation?

naacp

When a group is called a membership association, it means

that members play an important role in the daily activities of the group.

Interest groups most effectively serve the

upper class

A criticism of interest-group pluralism is:

its class bias in favor of those with greater financial resources

Organized interest groups enhance American democracy by:

representing the interests of large numbers of people and encouraging political participation

When a coalition of credit card companies form an interest group called the Partnership to Protect Consumer Credit, this indicates:

that private interests are hiding behind the ideals of public interests

It is difficult for political scientists to categorize unrepresented interests because:

there are no organizations that can present their identities and demands

The fact that interest groups favor the wealthy and well educated can be understood as a reflection of what eternal dilemma in American politics?

Liberty is often inconsistent with equality.

Which of the following is NOT a function of interest groups?

To get their members elected to political office

Which group is best adapted to organizing the lower classes?

Political party

The National League of Cities is a good example of:

public sector group.

True or False: Except for laws against bribery, lobbyists are shielded from any legal regulations of their activities

false

True or False: The iron triangle is a relationship that is established through repeated litigation of class-action suits

false

State and local party organizations do all of the following except:

litigate against unfavorable policies