POLS 207 Lecture 10

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Interest Groups

For example:

• PETA
• NRA
• AARP

Interest groups provide 3 types of "selective" benefits:

1. material - you get stuff for giving stuff to them
2. solidary - sense of belonging; you feel good belonging to a group
3. expressive - warm fuzzies; you feel good for doing a good thing

Types of Interest Groups (and lobbying organizations):

1. For-hire (work for highest bidder)
2. Institutional (within an industry)
3. In-house (more loyalty, e.g. Boeing)
4. Public (PETA)

Follow the money/benefits.

Lobbyists need to know: Substance/foundation of issue, process necessary to get results, and people involved