...Since the creation of the United States government, political lobbying has played a large role in influencing the creation and modification of laws. The act of lobbying is to solicit or try to influence the votes of members of a legislative body (Dictionary.com). There has always been controversy surrounding the political lobbying system, due to the potential of corruption through bribery. Two important pieces of legislation became laws as a result of this controversy. The Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act of 1946 and the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 were created to prevent potential abuse within the political lobbying system. The purpose of lobbying is to communicate to public officials the special interests of specific groups. Special interest groups typically hire professional advocates, who then try to influence public officials to vote on specific legislation that the special interest groups support. In many cases, elected officials and their staff do not have the resources to fully research specific information on proposed legislation that they must vote on. The purpose of lobbying is to gather and analyze information, and then educate public officials on the important details of upcoming legislation. Lobbyists can represent groups of people, and as a result of the Citizens United V. Federal Election Commission Supreme Court ruling, corporations, associations, and labor unions. In many cases, lobbyists may represent both sides of proposed legislation. There are set...
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...Running Header: Special Interest Special Interest Jermall Cuffee Professor: Dr. Jane El-Yacoubi POL 110 03/03/13 So, when the election is all over. What can the average American do to stay involved in the political arena and not have to wait for the next election? There is one significant way of influencing American government and that is through an Interest Group. Interest Groups also known as advocacy groups, lobbying groups or special interest, are in place to persuade or prevent changes in public policies. They exist for the solemn purpose of conveying the views and defending the interest of a part of society to public officials. There are all types of interest groups in America from animal rights groups to public interest groups to citizen groups. Interest groups get there start when James Madison developed the theme in “The Federalists (No. 10). In it he discussed factions, which was his term for interest groups and Madison believed that will always have diverse interest especially when it comes to economic circumstances and property ownership. Even though interest groups can be found deeply rooted in many different traditions and cultures such as Germany, they are common threads that can be observed in the development of interest groups mostly in Western industrial societies. There are about four phases in which the development of interest groups can be viewed. In what is called the first phase or the preindustrial phase beginning in the 1830s to the 1870s, there...
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...Federal Lobbying In the United States, there are more than fifty different versions of lobbying laws in states and territories. On the Federal level, lobbying is defined as being “any communication made on behalf of a client to members of Congress, congressional staffers, the president, White House staff and high-level employees of nearly 200 agencies, regarding the formulation, modification, or adoption of legislation.” Though there is much disagreement about lobbyists, there have been laws enacted to try and control them and those who abuse lobbying. There is always room for improvement with regards to lobbying laws, because there is still your classic loop holes that people use to avoid being in violation of the law. Corporations, organizations, universities, non-profit groups, and even churches lobby the federal government. Organizations, such as those listed, purposely employ people who are known as lobbyists, for services that include “making more than one lobbying contact on behalf of a client” and who also engage in other lobbying activities. Since 1988, 22,000 companies and organizations have employed 3,500 lobbying firms and over 27,000 lobbyists. Over time, many would agree that lobbyists have become very powerful. With the increase of power that these lobbyists have with regards to governmental policies, regulations and laws must also be revised and re-enacted to combat the increased power being gained. Lobbyists are required to register with Congress if...
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...group that stood out for me was the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP). I was surprised to see that it was one of the top 25 most influential special interest groups listed (Interest 2002). My husband is over 50 and I am fast-approaching that age. He is a member of AARP and as a spouse so am I. We get the newsletters and e-mail but I never really paid much attention to the influence AARP had over policies affecting people over 50. The main theme of my paper is how AARP’s organization and lobbying efforts show that to be a force to be reckoned with, an interest group can use money and sheer numbers to get it’s point across. First let’s define what a lobbying is. According to Encyclopedia Britannica “lobbying, any attempt by individuals or private interest groups to influence the decisions of government; in its original meaning it referred to efforts to influence the votes of legislators, generally in the lobby outside the legislative chamber. Lobbying in some form is inevitable in any political system” (Britannica 2011). The organization I chose to write about was formerly known as the National Retired Teachers Association. “Because of its broader focus on issues ranging from medical care, social security, health and welfare, aging, insurance, financial planning, and consumer protection, the name was officially changed in 1999 to the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP)” (Money Matters 2011). AARP is a “nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization...
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...Legalizing Lobbying in Bulgaria – a Mission Impossible or a Much Needed “Must’ Author: Gergana V. Murtova Term Paper for Business and Society Class People are easily fooled by talk about donations, private or corporate, that might be the case but not the whole truth, indeed. You see, everywhere from America to Japan, each party has, so to say, a ring of firms…If you think that I am less influential than one banker, your idea of what a politician can achieve is very far from reality. In the last 15 years, perhaps half of all above-the-average businessmen are [what they are]…either with my blessing or at least a smile from me. * Ahmed Dogan (Bulgarian Politician, former leader of the ethnic Turks’party Movement for Rights and Freedoms), 2005 Corrupted politicians, lobbying from wealthy businessmen, forceful advocacy from particular societal groups, influence peddling from local and national government representatives – all these are scenarios that Bulgarian citizen hear and read about in Bulgarian media day after day. That is why when in 2005 Dogan said those words, Bulgarian society wasn’t shock by their content; it was no news to us. Actually, the only shock from these words was from the cynicism and the sense of impunity with which a party leader would talk before television cameras. Overall, Bulgarian society is rather used to the concept of corruption. Bulgaria has been ranked for years among the top in the world in terms of corruption (Mulcahy, 2012)...
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...Special Interest Shavonne Holman Professor Steven Holeman, Sr. POL110 March 2, 2013 Define an interest group, with examples. An interest group is an organization whose members share common concerns and try to influence government policies affecting these concerns. Interest groups are also known as lobbies; lobbying is one of the ways interest groups shape legislation and bring the views of their constituents to the attention of decision-makers. A great example of an interest group would be The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) which has about 32 million members. Interest groups are organizations that seek to influence the decisions of government. According to Truman, interest groups can be defined as groups that, based on one or more shared attitudes, engage in influencing political decision-making, in order to successfully implement certain political goals or values (Truman, 1993). They usually, but not always, are formally organized. The relation between interest groups and government and society is an affirmative one, although groups may at times employ destructive methods in order to accomplish their goals. The existing social order is accepted by interest groups, and governmental power and its institutions are utilized to attain advantages, protect members and to fight political opponents (Truman, 1993). Two kinds of organizations: Institutional Interest and Membership Interest. Institutional Interest are individuals or organizations representing...
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...WEEK 8 ASSIGNMENT Interest Groups Professor Karina Arzumanova U.S. Goverment An Interests Group is defined as an organization of people or a letterhead organization, sharing a common interest or goal that seeks to influence the making of public policy. In the American political system, there are a wide variety of interest groups that are organized for the sole purpose of exerting influence on the political and legal systems. These groups play a central role in deciding who gets what, when, where and how in legislative and budget processes. They also play a significant role in deciding which values will be promoted and enforced by the government. When individuals have common interests, it often makes sense for them to join together in pursuit of those interests. When this happens, a special interest group is formed. These groups then compete for a share of the limited resources distributed through the political process. While many groups are formed to compete for economic resources, others are formed to support their positions on issues like abortion and gun control. The limited resource these groups compete for is not money or real estate but rather the use of governmental power to enforce a particular set of values. At the group level, it makes sense for groups to form and do the things they do. However, at the individual level, there are powerful incentives to be a free rider. If a group is pursuing your interests even though you, as an individual, are...
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...Govt., Business, NGOs – Interface between them in the rise of globalization BUSINESS ETHICS PROJECT Govt., Business, NGOs – Interface between them in the rise of globalization BUSINESS ETHICS PROJECT Chand Ajmera, PGP/17/192 Ananya Jha, PGP/17/194 Shraddha Srikhande, PGP/17/240 Dinesh Kumar V, PGP/17/248 Chand Ajmera, PGP/17/192 Ananya Jha, PGP/17/194 Shraddha Srikhande, PGP/17/240 Dinesh Kumar V, PGP/17/248 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION 2. ROLE OF CSOS IN BUSINESS GOVERNMENT INTERFACE 3. LOBBYING - INTRODUCTION 4. ETHICAL IMPLICATIONS OF LOBBYING 5. EXAMPLES OF LOBBYING 6. ACTIONS BEING TAKEN TO CURB THE UNETHICAL ASPECT OF LOBBYING 7. CONCLUSION & RECOMMENDATIONS 1. INTRODUCTION The growth and function of every business is highly dependent on the government. A large number of government actions in addition to laws and regulations affect companies’ finances. There are several reasons behind regulation of business by the government. 1. Public safety and welfare: Many industries are regularly reviewed and overseen because their activities, if they go skewed, can have detrimental effects to human health, financial well-being, or community structure. [21] 2. Protecting industry: Many regulations are in place to protect those who have developed their business correctly; licensing, permits, and inspections by the government clear out criminal activities that challenge truthful industries. [21] 3. Revenue...
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...Assignment 2: Special Interests What Are Special Interests Groups Special interest groups are often referred to as pressure groups, single issue groups, vested interest groups, lobbyist and several other titles. Through there are many names they essentially are all the same meaning; “An organization of people or a “letterhead” organization, sharing a common goal that seeks to influence the making of public policy” (Wilson, 2009, pp. 141). There is a lot of debate as to the negative and practical aspects of interest groups. Interest groups come in forms of Unions, Economic groups, Ideology groups, Social Policy groups or Public interest groups. They exclusively are engaged to influence the president and congress by promoting what values enforced by the government. Interest groups play a vital role in shaping public policies. They are one of four linkage groups which also include the media, elections and campaigns as well as political parties. These groups keep the citizens connected to the government. James Madison explains in Federalist #10 that public views are refined and enhanced "by passing them through the medium of a chosen body of citizens, whose wisdom may discern the true interest of their country..." (Independance Hall, 2008). This was written in the essence of how to mitigate the effects of particular interest groups. It is hard to know what he would think of this design today. Impact on Government in the Creation of Public Policy Special interest groups...
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...demonstrated that voter participation in Texas is relatively low. This lack of citizen involvement in elections leads to a corresponding increase in the importance and influence of interest groups in Texas politics. Indeed, it is frequently not the individual, or even the more broadly defined “public opinion,” that influences government, but rather these interest groups that have the ear of public officials. However, interest groups are not necessarily “others” but are often “us” as we act in concert with like-minded or similarly interested citizens. An interest group is an organization of individuals sharing common goals that tries to influence governmental decisions. This term is often used interchangeably with the term “lobby group,” although lobbying is a specific activity or technique (discussed later) whereby interest groups attempt to influence legislation. Sometimes the term political action committee (PAC) is also used to refer to interest groups. PACs are organizations that collect and distribute money to candidates and, as such, are a more specialized kind of interest group. Often, broad-based interest groups have PACs associated with them. Interest groups play an important role in a democratic society. They are capable of exerting both positive and negative effects on political processes and outcomes. Public attention is often drawn to the negative influences; however, interest groups and their activities are protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which...
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...The Role of Special Interest Groups in U.S. Elections INTRODUCTION According to Jeffrey Berry of The Interest Group Society, "an interest group is an organized body of individuals who share some goals and who try to influence public policy" (Hays). These groups allow citizens to make their ideas, needs, and views known to elected officials, and with more than 23,000 special interest groups nationwide, citizens can usually find an interest group that focuses on their concerns, no matter how specialized they may be (Encyclopedia of Associations). This paper will explore different types of interest groups, their influence, the methods and tactics they employ, and Citizens United’s effects on elections in the United States. TYPES OF INTEREST GROUPS Special interest groups can be classified into numerous categories. Though not an empirical list, these groups generally belong to at least one of the following categories: Economic interest groups are the largest category. These organization represent big business, such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and labor unions like the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organization and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. These corporations and unions usually have offices in Washington, D.C., and represent entire industries (Types of Interest Groups). Government interest groups such as the National League of Cities, the National Conference of Mayors, and the National Governors Association, bring the issues...
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...Are Interest Groups in the USA too powerful? "An interest group is an organized body of individuals who share some goals and who try to influence public policy." -- Jeffrey Berry - The Interest Group Society Interest Groups are groups where groups of individuals can come together where they can make their ideas, needs, and views known to elected officials. Many individuals in our modern times associate themselves with an interest group regardless of how specialised the views of the group. The main role of interest groups is to influence policy decision making. Some key interest groups in America include the ‘Association of Manufacturers’ which represents 14,000 companies in the US. Many academics would argue that business and corporation play a key central role in American politics. Major corporations carry the prestige of being key members in the US economy. As many people’s view on elected officials are made on economic performance, many fear that anti-business policies will harm their performance in later elections. It is also known that many corporations will help fund the candidates who are in their favour and support their views and therefore business can be very effective interest groups. There are also key single issue groups such as the NRA, and Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Interest Groups are distinct from political parties as they do not seek elected office and therefore their power is to influence decision making rather than holding the power over decisions...
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...Corruption and Politics When Jack Abramoff was convicted of tax evasion and sentenced to prison in 2006, the act of lobbying was thrown into the national spotlight. Lobbying has a reputation for being one of the most controversial issues in American politics. It is undeniable to accept the fact that good and bad results when lobbying takes place. Some argue that the downfall of lobbying is a catastrophic problem to the American public while others argue that lobbying creates a healthy relationship between the American public, companies, and the government that complies with the US constitution. In order to determine what action should be taken regarding the act of lobbying, one should question if the act should be outlawed entirely, remain in its current legal state, or reformed. The primary role of a lobbyist is to meet with lawmakers and their staffers on a regular basis. During these meetings valuable information is shared regarding specific issues. Many lawmakers heavily rely on lobbyists to provide vital information when writing legislation. John Kenneth White, a political scientist at Catholic University in Washington expresses how essential the act of lobbying is for politicians while in the process of writing legislation when he says: “They are not only necessary but inevitable” and “The founding fathers fully expected interest groups to organize to defend their property interest.” Professional lobbyists are people whose business consists of influencing legislation...
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...Matthew Sandoval 1 Government 2301 Spring 2012 Interest Groups and Politics The “interest industry” or Interest Groups is often pointed out as one of the unusual features of the American political system. A structurally weak state is seen as being penetrated by wealthy and vigorous lobbying groups, raising the questions of to whom. Elected politicians are in practice accountable, and how real political power is allocated. While these interest groups are sometimes effective in achieving their own aims, the bias towards business groups suggests that, far from improving policymaking, the influence of interest groups actually worsens it. The strong presence of interest groups is certainly not in doubt. The representation of interests is the third-largest source of employment in Washington D.C., providing work for around 40,000 active lobbyists (Twyman, 1). Groups are also organized in state capitals, especially in Sacramento, CA and Austin, TX. This impressive presence, in comparison to other countries, stems at least partly from the structural weakness of other parts of the American political system. The framers of the Constitution fragmented the state into competing institutions, thus providing plenty of leverage points for interest groups; those which do not get satisfaction in the one branch of government can pursue it in another (Debbie, 4). In addition the main political parties are ill-disciplined and weak; legislators who vote against the party line...
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...American Political Science Review Vol. 105, No. 1 February 2011 doi:10.1017/S0003055410000523 Bribes, Lobbying, and Development BARD HARSTAD Northwestern University JAKOB SVENSSON Stockholm University hen faced with a regulatory constraint, firms can either comply, bribe the regulator to get around the rule, or lobby the government to relax it. We analyze this choice, and its consequences, in a simple dynamic model. In equilibrium, when the level of development is low, firms are more inclined to bend the rule through bribery but they tend to switch to lobbying when the level of development is sufficiently high. Bribery, however, is associated with holdup problems, which discourage firms from investing. If the holdup problems are severe, firms will never invest enough to make lobbying worthwhile. The country may then be stuck in a poverty trap with bribery forever. The model can account for the common perception that bribery is relatively more common in poor countries, whereas lobbying is relatively more common in rich ones. In India, as elsewhere in the developing world, the old business of corruption is meeting a new rival: the Washington-style business of persuasion — –International Herald Tribune, May 31, 2006 ◦ W L obbying and corruption have been the subject of tremendous public interest and research. Surprisingly, these two means of influencing regulation have either been studied separately or viewed as basically being one and the same. The question of...
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