...that may not be reflected by the party you vote for. Eg. US: NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People) or in the UK Countryside Alliance which defends fox hunting. 2. Participation. Increase participation outside elections and also in specific policy area. Eg. US: NRA (National Rifle Association) or in the UK Fathers4Justice 3. Education. Provide education on issues that the government decides to not directly address. Eg. Branches of US or UK Greenpeace 4. Agenda setting. Influence policy discussed by legislatures or the executive. Eg. UK: 38 Degrees rejection of 2012 NHS Bill. US providing voting cues for party members eg. Democracts may adhere to voting cues from ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) 5. Scrutiny. Scrutiny of government action and Supreme Court decisions (mainly in the US). Eg. US: ACLU & NRA court cases to monitor the affects of the Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Act 2002. UK: UK Uncut protests in Oct 2011 against the NHS Bill. Pressure group methods 1. Influence politicians. Eg. US: lobbying members of Congress, providing voting cues. UK: BMA and Royal College of Physicians urge PM to scrap NHS Bill. 2. Endorsement. Eg. US Mitt Romney attended NRA 2011 National convention. National Right to Life endorsed McCain in 2008. Also through donations to PACs. UK: 2010 Unite donated £1m to Labour party to support campaign. 3. Publicity and campaigns. Eg US: NRA 2012 “Get out the vote” campaign. UK: May 2011 Police...
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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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...Electioneering and endorsement, Lobbying, Publicity and Organising grassroots activities. I would argue that Lobbying and organising grassroots activities is the most effective method that a pressure group can use as it is direct access to legislators as well as important political figures, whereas the use of electioneering and PAC is effective in a way it is not highly consider. The1970’s campaign finance reforms considerable alter the role of pressure groups and political fundraising, consequently the reforms limited the amount a pressure group could give to a candidate in a federal election. Therefore, the reform encouraged the setting up of political action committees commonly known as PACs that could make donations. A PAC is an organisation whose sole purpose is to raise funds which is then given to candidate campaigns running for political office. The 2006 mid-term elections were the first to run under the McCain-Feingold law of 2002, which had significant changes to federal election finance. The 2006 mid—terms themselves were an opportunity for the Democrats to regain control of both houses of Congress, with these factors as well as it being the most expensive election to date — an increase of 25% on what was spent in 2002, a majority of this increase was by PACs. PAC spending in 2006 exceeded $1billion and also with an increased emphasis on hard-dollar fundraising meant that PACs grew in numbers and their importance since the reform. Therefore, though this method...
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...NORML-National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws By Abigail Galicia PID: A09469570 POLI 100E Final Paper Prof. Galderisi 12/13/2012 Abigail Galicia POLI 100E Galderisi 12/13/12 Final Paper NORML-National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws “It’s NORML to Smoke Pot.” How is NORML organized, and how does it pursue its policy interests? I. Introduction. The issue of the legalization of marijuana has been a hotly-debated and increasingly bitter confrontation among Americans. On the one side lie those who oppose everything about the drug and believe it to be a threat to society’s health and well-being, while the other side is composed of “the millions of smokers, many of them well educated, successful people who resent being defined as criminals for using what they regard as a mild but enjoyable drug (Anderson 3).” Both sides—for and against the legalization of marijuana—have presented proper research and evidence on either the virtually harmless or life threatening effects of marijuana along with either the economically beneficial or detrimental effects drug policy reform will have on the US. Either way, this debate has gained political momentum in the past decades and can no longer be seen as one-sided. Fueling this debate and whole-heartedly representing the pro-marijuana lobby organization, is the interest group NORML. NORML stands for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws and has been the top main advocate in leading the...
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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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...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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...Payday Loans: Helpful or Hurtful Joseph Santini Monmouth University I. Introduction There is a new trend in lower income communities in the United States called payday loans. The popularity of getting payday loans to help to pay off utilities and short term debts. These loans have become controversial and brought on speculation of the ethics of the loans and their practices. There has been legislation brought through state senates on this issue but with heavy lobbying have not be able to see the light of day. The tactics of these lobbyists have also come into question. The overall question to be answered is if payday loans are good for this country. II. What are Payday Loans? Payday loans are defined on Investopedia as a short-term loan with a small borrowing amount and a high rate of interest. The way it works is the borrower writes a post-dated check for the borrowing amount plus a fee for immediate cash. The lender keeps the check until the agreed date which is normally the borrower’s next payday. These loans are also commonly called cash advance loans or check advance loans. (Investopedia) These are attractive to lower income community because the loans offer them money right away before they earn it. The feeling of having physical cash in their hands makes them confident in themselves. This system is great if you can pay the debt off quickly but if you take just a small amount of time to pay the loan the debt can pile up. This is because these loans have...
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...Austin Braham The American Association of Retired Persons is a powerful special interest group that protects the interests of retirees across the US by lobbying politicians to pass legislation in the organization’s favor. Inside you will find detailed information outlining AARP’s mission, purpose, and scope. Austin Braham The American Association of Retired Persons is a powerful special interest group that protects the interests of retirees across the US by lobbying politicians to pass legislation in the organization’s favor. Inside you will find detailed information outlining AARP’s mission, purpose, and scope. Politicians are elected in part on the basis of the issues by which they stand, and these issues are either held up or weakened by numerous interest groups that exist today. Interest groups target both major and minor issues, using all of their resources to sponsor or overpower the groups' concern. Interest groups are composed of a limited range of the body of voters who have a great stake in the issues that their group supports. It is made clear and evident which issues their group supports. Resources are used in an attempt to make their interests public policy. Interest groups are persistent; they do not give up until they succeed and they lobby congress, take legal action, and attempt to influence election results in order to benefit their cause. One such political interest group is the AARP (American Association of Retired Persons). Founded in...
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...Through the example the Anti-Saloon league, one would find it rather easy to see just how influential the presence of finance in political elections is. Such limitless vote-buying erodes the very ideals of democracy that were integral to the founding of this nation, taking away from the idea that every citizen should have a say in public policy rather than faceless corporate conglomerates who desire augmented profit and cost marginalization above all else. The Supreme Court case of Citizens United in 2009 marked a loss for the general citizenry against special interest groups and lobbyists. Jeffrey Toobin and John Blake highlight the factors contributing to limitless campaign financing, their effects, and historical events which may give us some insight as to how our contemporary system is functioning...
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...either of the standard. The employer which has more than 50% of the employees with H1B or L1 will have to pay $10000 fee. This is going to effect companies like TCS, WIPRO and Infosys. But will be useful in case of IBM, Dell etc which are US based. The proposed reform to the H1B visa standards were under the Senate’s comprehensive bill. It has the potential to cast a profound impact on the outstanding industry.the US government has accused Indian it companies of using the visas unfairly to send the employees from india at a lower cost, which impacts job creation in US. Most IT companies have said this would impact margin by 20 to 30 basis points and they would counter it by increasing hiring in US. Also it clears the opportunity of the local US players to get sub contracting from the bigger players. The impact on the revenues of the big companies such as Cognizant, TCS will give birth to theneed of change of business model IT providers that need to evaluate the options such as acquisition and larger presence in smaller US cities. Proportion of work may be needed to increase from 60 to 70% to 80%, they might need to employ local employees or perform small acquisition to get the employer strength needed. Dealing with the possible solution of lobbying Nasscom might not be able to pitch in...
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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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...Corps. Enron has subsidiaries in India, China Philippines, a water company in Britain, pulp mills in Canada and gas pipelines across North America and South America. But the real power lies in the Houston area where it is the leading supplier for electricity and natural gas. As it rose to power it had plans to enter the fiber-optic cable, TV advertising time and wood pulp and steel market. Further, it also had political interest in the nation and like all MNC's lobbied behind its candidates in this case being Bush, who is now President. This seemed to pave the way for Enron's success and put it in a prime position for pulling the strings of power. Now, however, suddenly the power dynamics have changed. From being the top Corporation in the US and the world it is now fighting to retain its stock value. Assets have been pledged to the bank, creditors are scrambling for blood and company lawyers planned to file for bankruptcy. Most of the customers that Enron boasted off have long gone. From the point of creating power it has come down to the mercies of those in power. The company had approximately 21,000 employees all in dire straits as their future and savings was in the Enron stocks. With the employees mutual fund and investment companies too have lost millions in this disaster. The sudden demise of a seemingly successful venture is creating questions that will be answered by the Securities and Exchange Commission, which is appointing auditors for the investigation of the failure...
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...com/id/44337105/US_Firms_Paid_More_to_CEOs_Than_Taxes_in_2010_Study Our country had been bombarded by political mayhem like unproductive congress, as well as a burden of national debt that keeps hanging over our head and reminds of itself on almost every national headline. While the political elite is trying to slash and reduce the debt jeopardizing ideologies of its own parties, the private sector’s elite – CEOs of large corporations are filling their pockets with bonuses and salaries, as if we were still in 2003. According to the report conducted by Institute of Policy Study: “Twenty-five of the 100 highest paid U.S. CEOs earned more last year than their companies paid in federal income tax”. The report has been ordered by Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. The conducted study upon the topic stated that the average pay of a CEO that surpassed taxes was 16.7 million dollars yearly. An interesting point has been brought up in this article, comparing a higher-than-taxes pay to cases of corporate fraud, such as Enron and WorldCom. According to Collins, the congressman who ordered the report to be conducted, outsized CEO pay was often a red flag for bigger problems to come. I would like to get to the very bottom of this issue right away. This story is much deeper than this corporate fiscal year, the house elections or even the national debt. This is an issue directly connected to the de-regulation of not only our economic system, but Capitalism itself. United States and the Western World are...
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...events written or recorded by anybody can be seen by the entire country live as it occurs. The internet has such massive volume that it is almost impossible to regulate or control. It will inevitably become the single greatest instrument in judging and holding politicians and administrators accountable. The internet also exponentially amplifies all other elements of social change such as working over full time in poverty, minimum wage, worker rights, marriage equality, voting rights, campaign finance disapproval, lobbying disapproval, healthcare, and anti-corporatism to name a few. A recent study called "Testing Theories of American Politics: Elites, Interest Groups, and Average Citizens." by Martin Gilens of Princeton University and Benjamin I. Page of Northwestern University. (1) quantifies the will or opinion of the American people on a variety of issues from pieces of legislation to Supreme Court rulings. Then the will of hyper wealthy Bankers, Corporations, Lobbying firms, and other interest groups was quantified. The demands of these individuals and entities almost always conflicted with the will of the vast majority of American people. This study found that over 90% of the time, legislation and court rulings served the will of the very few. This study effectively proved the United States no longer a Democracy, but an Oligarchy. This study, made possible by the advent of the internet, proved what the American people had suspected for a long time and that was that the...
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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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