Deck 11: Interest Groups and Social Movements

Question 1

A collection of groups come together and develop a platform of political goals.They are driven to act together because they lack access to conventional means of political participation.Because they are disadvantaged and excluded from conventional politics,they choose to use tactics that may draw public attention to their issues.How is this most easily defined?

A) interest group
B) protest movement
C) social movement
D) collective action
E) public interest group

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Which dilemma is evident in the difficulties that arise in enticing individuals who may benefit from an interest group's work to provide financial support for that organization?

A) coordination problem
B) Prisoner's Dilemma
C) principal-agent problem
D) unstable coalition
E) collective-action problem

Answer 2

E

Question 3

The civil rights movement is best characterized as a ____________________ rather than an interest group because of the involvement of many different organizations and the use of unconventional forms of political activism to engage individuals who had been excluded from normal political processes.

A) political party
B) corporation
C) social network
D) social movement
E) political machine

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Lobbying is directed primarily toward ____________________.

A) courts, because they are have the autonomy to change laws to benefit interest groups
B) the president, because he or she sets political agendas
C) bureaucrats, because they are able to change regulatory policies to benefit interest groups
D) bureaucracies and the president, because bureaucrats work in the Executive Office of the President
E) the president and Congress, because they find it electorally beneficial to be responsive to constituents

Question 5

A bill requiring the auto industry to meet stricter emission standards is set to come before Congress.Many groups are invested in its outcome-environmental interest groups,auto manufacturers,labor unions,mechanics,environmental scientists,oil companies,and others.How are the groups representing these interests likely to behave?

A) They will compete to make the largest donations to lawmakers.
B) They will compete to get the most attention from lawmakers.
C) They will work together to reframe issues and appeal to the broader public.
D) They will work together to overcome collective-action problems.
E) They will work together to overcome coordination problems.

Question 6

Which is a concern shared by a group of people on which they have not yet chosen to act?

A) lasting interest
B) latent interest
C) lost interest
D) local interest
E) level interest

Question 7

A social movement might be considered successful if it ____________________.

A) mobilizes people to participate and changes policy
B) changes cultural norms and political institutions
C) changes political institutions and policies
D) shapes political agendas and changes cultural norms
E) changes cultural norms and mobilizes people to participate

Question 8

The women's suffrage movement,the civil rights movement,and the Tea Party movement are examples of ____________________.

A) interest groups
B) political parties
C) corporatism
D) social networks
E) social movements

Question 9

If the National Rifle Association began to nominate its own candidates to run for public offices,rather than endorsing or supporting external candidates,it would cease to be a/an ____________________ and become a/an ____________________.

A) interest group/political party
B) lobbying organization/interest group
C) pressure group/lobbying organization
D) public interest group/pressure group
E) select donor/public interest group

Question 10

An interest group sends a representative to the office of a member of Congress to convince her to support its position on pending legislation.What is this called?

A) lobbying
B) legislating
C) brokering
D) wheeling
E) pandering

Question 11

Many residents of Detroit are employed by automobile manufacturers.When those companies almost dissolved in the financial crisis of the 2000s,residents' interest in the political treatment of automobile manufacturers may have gone from ____________________ to ____________________.

A) active; latent
B) selective; latent
C) collective; active
D) selective; collective
E) latent; active

Question 12

Tiffany supports the policy objectives of the National Rifle Association (NRA),but she has not actually joined the organization because she knows that her small membership fee will not make much of a difference in whether the organization succeeds or fails in its mission.Tiffany's thinking is indicative of a/an ____________________.

A) coordination problem
B) Prisoner's Dilemma
C) principal-agent problem
D) unstable coalition
E) collective-action problem

Question 13

Which is an attempt to influence public officials by speaking to them directly or by pressuring them through their constituents?

A) lobbying
B) legislating
C) brokering
D) wheeling
E) pandering

Question 14

What is the primary distinction between an interest group and a political party?

A) Interest groups are smaller than political parties.
B) Interest groups operate at the national level while political parties are organized at the state level.
C) Interest groups do not seek positions of power in government; political parties do.
D) Interest groups are focused on individual issues; political parties are interested in large sets of issues.
E) Interest groups are larger than political parties.

Question 15

According to the resource mobilization perspective,the Civil Rights Movement succeeded in part because it was able to ____________________.

A) rely on pre-existing networks of student organizations and churches, which were able to elicit large financial donations from their members
B) rely on pre-existing networks of student organizations and churches, which were able to mobilize their members for political action
C) rely on pre-existing networks of student organizations and churches, which were able to convince their members to act with the group regardless of personal preferences
D) mobilize substantial financial resources, which it then used to hire lobbyists and support candidates for elected office
E) mobilize substantial financial resources, which it used to train movement adherents in protest tactics and public speaking

Question 16

What type of interest group attempts to influence policies in ways that do not selectively or materially benefit its members?

A) public interest group
B) general welfare society
C) public good organization
D) charitable organization
E) social choice society

Question 17

Calista is an enthusiastic gun owner and a supporter of extensive gun ownership rights.Yet,she is not a member of the National Rifle Association or any other interest groups that lobbies for the rights of gun owners.Calista is ____________________ the efforts of the NRA and other pro-gun interest groups and their members.

A) free riding on
B) free birding on
C) insider lobbying for
D) outsider lobbying for
E) bird-dogging

Question 18

Which of the following is NOT an activity an interest group would undertake?

A) lobbying members of Congress
B) representing workers to their employers
C) influencing bureaucratic policies
D) nominating candidates for elected office
E) earning profits for shareholders

Question 19

A/an ____________________ is a loose organization of groups with common goals that are oriented toward using mass action to influence the government.

A) interest group
B) political party
C) collective action network
D) social network
E) social movement

Question 20

The civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s is the quintessential example of a/an ____________________.

A) interest group
B) political party
C) collective-action network
D) social network
E) social movement

Question 21

Lobbyists tend to lobby legislators or bureaucrats who ____________________.

A) are most strongly opposed to the group's position
B) are indecisive about supporting the group's position
C) are supportive of the group's position
D) are less senior, that is, have served little time in their institution
E) are more senior, that is, have served much time in their institution

Question 22

Which are activities by interest group leaders that seek to mobilize constituents and others outside the policy-making process to pressure policy makers?

A) outside lobbying
B) inside lobbying
C) pandering
D) argumentation
E) profiling

Question 23

Why do Washington lobbyists often complain about having to attend so many fund-raisers?

A) The money organizations and politicians spend on fund-raising often exceeds the amount they are able to raise.
B) They do not believe their individual contributions will make much difference in political outcomes.
C) Socializing together makes politicians and lobbyists more corrupt.
D) The events are boring and overpriced.
E) Attending so many fund-raisers takes away from time that could be spent on advocacy efforts.

Question 24

A libertarian group wants to lobby Congress for legislation to reduce the minimum wage,arguing that it will create more jobs.Realizing that they lack the resources to successfully form a lobbying organization,this group gets in touch with a big-box chain of stores,which stands to benefit from being able to offer lower wages to its employees and is therefore willing to bankroll the group's lobbying efforts.This group has solved its problem by relying on ____________________.

A) selective incentives
B) public goods
C) by-products
D) special donors
E) insider lobbying

Question 25

A California Congresswoman is facing re-election in a tight campaign.Although she has been too socially conservative for many of her constituents,she has been a strong advocate for California's large agricultural industry.To bolster her campaign's budget she holds a fund-raiser and invites the heads of a number of agricultural businesses and interest groups,asking them to "Save the Date for a Celebration of California Agriculture: Never Stronger!" This is an example of a/an ____________________.

A) special donations
B) hold-up
C) selective incentives
D) insider dilemma
E) bribe

Question 26

Which is a private good offered by an interest group in order to entice individuals to support the group?

A) selective incentive
B) public good
C) latent interest
D) group interest
E) individual utility

Question 27

Interest groups sometimes offer ____________________,which are rewards or benefits available only to its members or financial supporters,in order to overcome the collective-action problem.

A) public goods
B) selective incentives
C) public incentives
D) selective service
E) primary rewards

Question 28

Chevrolet and Greenpeace both support a bill that would require automobile manufacturers to meet stricter emissions standards in the next two years.Chevrolet supports the bill because its Chevy Volt is one of the few cars that already meets these standards and Chevrolet is likely to benefit financially from stricter regulation while its competitors struggle to catch up.Greenpeace supports the bill because of its potential environmental benefits.Though they both support the bill,Greenpeace and Chevrolet are likely to face a/an ____________________ when advocating for its passage.

A) coordination problem
B) Prisoner's Dilemma
C) principal-agent problem
D) unstable coalition
E) collective-action problem

Question 29

Rev.Martin Luther King Jr.'s efforts to lead the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and other organizations against discriminatory laws and practices in the American South is an example of ____________________.

A) a selective incentive
B) political entrepreneurship
C) corporatism
D) elitism
E) insider lobbying

Question 30

Multiple interest groups often face a/an ____________________ when attempting to agree on strategies or tactics to achieve a common goal.

A) coordination problem
B) Prisoner's Dilemma
C) principal-agent problem
D) unstable coalition
E) collective-action problem

Question 31

Instead of organizing an outside lobbying campaign,the pro-Zinc public interest group Common Cents decides to focus on giving campaign contributions to legislators whose support they want.After giving maximum donations to the Congressional delegation from another state,those legislators change their minds about a currency reform bill and vote to keep the penny,which is made from zinc.A competing interest group investigates,and proves in court that these legislators only changed their votes because of the financial incentives provided by Common Cents.Common Cents' campaign contributions are an example of ____________________.

A) special donations
B) selective incentives
C) bribes
D) insider dilemma
E) a hold-up

Question 32

A pharmaceutical company wants to convince the Food and Drug Administration,a federal bureaucratic agency,to relax regulations governing the amount of time it takes to move a drug through clinical trials.The company is most likely to succeed if it uses ____________________ tactics to influence ____________________ because ____________________.

A) outside lobbying; the courts; justices are often heavily influenced by the content of amicus curiae briefs
B) outside lobbying; bureaucrats; individuals working for bureaucracies can be influenced by their membership in interest groups
C) inside lobbying; Congress; congressional hearings can draw attention to the issue and put it on legislative agendas
D) inside lobbying; the president; he or she can change the institutional rules of any executive office agency
E) inside lobbying; bureaucrats; interest groups often already have ongoing cooperative relationships with agencies

Question 33

Chevrolet and Greenpeace both support a bill that would require automobile manufacturers to meet stricter emissions standards in the next two years.Chevrolet supports the bill because its Chevy Volt is one of the few cars that already meets these standards and Chevrolet is likely to benefit financially from stricter regulation while its competitors struggle to catch up.Greenpeace supports the bill because of its potential environmental benefits.When faced with these different arguments,politicians may become confused about what the bill does and who it supports,and may decide to discard the bill.To prevent this,Chevrolet and Greenpeace would benefit from forming a ____________________.

A) coordinated solution
B) principal-agent problem
C) coalition
D) social movement
E) public interest group

Question 34

Which of the following is an "outsider" lobbying technique?

A) personal meetings with policy makers
B) host fundraising events for legislators
C) taking members of a legislative staff out for a meal to discuss pending legislation
D) running radio advertisements naming legislators who oppose pending legislation
E) making telephone calls to legislators to discuss pending legislation

Question 35

An interest group advocating for marriage equality relies heavily on the contributions of two individuals.Jeff is a CEO who hopes to marry his partner one day,and is therefore willing to support the group financially.Maria is a committed,charismatic advocate who is able to seize political opportunities and is willing to be the face of the organization regardless of the costs to her personally.Jeff is an example of a/an ____________________,while Maria is a/an ____________________.

A) entrepreneur; special donor
B) active interest; special donor
C) special donor; entrepreneur
D) special donor; active interest
E) active interest; entrepreneur

Question 36

A public interest group representing underserved children is lobbying against a "three strikes" law that would send students to prison after three instances of in-school disciplinary infractions.If they want to succeed,they are LEAST likely to ____________________ in order to influence ____________________ because ____________________.

A) organize a letter writing campaign; the president; he or she is unlikely to be persuaded by pressure from constituents and interest groups
B) hold a fund-raiser; Congress; public interest groups have little financial sway with Congressmen and Congresswomen
C) pay a lobbyist; Congress; lobbyists often have insider access to Congressmen and Congresswomen and may be able to keep the bill from coming up for a vote
D) file a lawsuit; the courts; this tactic is rarely used on behalf of disadvantaged populations and its outcome may be unpredictable
E) file an amicus brief; the courts; the Supreme Court's primary job is to protect individual rights, like those of children, and they are more likely to hear a case if groups file amicus briefs

Question 37

How do campaign contributions differ from other types of collective-action problems?

A) Candidates pay attention to who donates and who does not, so the contribution may still be effective for the donors.
B) Candidates pay attention to who donates and who does not, so the contribution may still be useful for the candidates.
C) Candidates receive contributions from many different groups and individuals, so they are likely to give the most access to their biggest donors.
D) Candidates receive contributions from many different groups and individuals, so they are likely to give the most access to their most consistent donors.
E) Candidates receive contributions from only a few groups and individuals, so donors who give the maximum are still likely to benefit.

Question 38

Which term refers to the political pressure faced by an interest group to provide campaign contributions to an elected official to ensure that he or she continues to support the group's positions in the policy-making process?

A) special donations
B) selective incentives
C) hold-up
D) insider dilemma
E) Prisoner's Dilemma

Question 39

The Human Rights Campaign,which lobbies for the rights of gays and lesbians,sends bumper stickers to individuals who provide financial support to the organization.These bumper stickers are an example of a/an ____________________.

A) solidary incentive
B) public good
C) selective incentive
D) by-product
E) insider lobbying

Question 40

Which are activities by lobbyists and interest group leaders that involve direct contact with policy makers?

A) outside lobbying
B) inside lobbying
C) pandering
D) argumentation
E) profiling

Question 41

What was the outcome of the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United v.FEC?

A) It removed caps on individual campaign contributions, permitting individuals to make unlimited donations to their preferred candidates.
B) It removed caps on corporate campaign contributions, permitting corporations to make unlimited donations to their preferred candidates.
C) Interest groups can now form both PACs and Super PACs, the latter of which allows them to coordinate directly with candidates.
D) Interest groups, individuals, and corporations are now permitted to make unlimited contributions to advocacy groups through Super PACs.
E) Interest groups, individuals, and corporations are now permitted to make unlimited contributions to candidates and parties.

Question 42

Some critics argue that Robert Dahl's model of pluralism,which is based on interest groups' influence on proposed legislation,does not account for ____________________.

A) the role of interest groups that represent individuals from multiple social classes
B) the role of public interest groups that organize around ideology instead of class
C) congressional discretion in agenda-setting
D) wealthy interest groups' ability to keep issues off the agenda altogether
E) interest group coalitions that force individuals to compromise their personal preferences

Question 43

Finding that local education policy is shaped by interactions between elected school board officials and representatives of teachers' unions,parents' organizations,and the business community would be most consistent with the theory of ____________________.

A) populism
B) democratism
C) institutionalism
D) pluralism
E) elitism

Question 44

Why is it difficult to make strong conclusions about the relationship between interest groups' financial contributions to political candidates and the voting behavior of those candidates once in office? What explains interest groups' continued use of campaign contributions despite the lack of evidence of their effectiveness in changing policy makers' behaviors?

Question 45

A critic of American pluralism once wrote,"The flaw in the pluralist heaven is that the heavenly chorus sings with a strong upper-class accent." Explain this critique of pluralism.In this critical view,what is problematic about the role of interest groups in making public policy in the United States? How does this problem arise? What can be done about it?

Question 46

Compared to parliamentary democracies,the American government offers ____________________ points of access because ____________________.

A) fewer; the U.S. Congress has more control over the flow of legislation
B) more; parliamentary democracies do not offer groups recourse to the courts
C) more; prime ministers are more able to mobilize their parties than presidents
D) more; separation of powers gives interest groups more potential targets for action
E) fewer; members of parliamentary cabinets tend to belong to the same party and share interests

Question 47

A Congresswoman with limited time can only take a meeting with one group.She is most likely to meet with the group that ____________________.

A) represents her constituents and has strong ideological views
B) has strong ideological views and has made campaign contributions
C) has made campaign contributions and has skilled lobbyists
D) has made campaign contributions and represents her constituents
E) has skilled lobbyists and represents her constituents

Question 48

Why do members of Congress and their staffers sometimes rely on interest groups to act as proxy staffers?

A) Congressmen and Congresswomen tend to share goals with the interest groups they work with, and interest groups can provide expertise useful in the legislative drafting process.
B) Congressional offices are often understaffed and know that experts from interest groups cannot afford to offer biased information to legislators.
C) Congressional offices are more likely to grant access to groups with clear ideologies than constituent groups.
D) When Congressmen and Congresswomen are subjected to "cross pressure" from interest groups and constituents, they tend to side with interest groups.
E) When Congressmen and Congresswomen are subjected to "cross pressure" from interest groups and constituents, they tend to side with their constituents' public opinion.

Question 49

Compare and contrast American-style pluralism with European-style corporatism.How does each system deal with the problem of obtaining inputs from the public into the policy-making process? What are the benefits of each approach to governance? What are the costs to each system?

Question 50

Interest groups and social movements are ____________________ of public opinion,because ____________________.

A) representative; most people share some interests with social movements
B) representative; most people make their voices heard in some social movement organization
C) representative; social movement organizations represent a random sample of the population
D) not representative; politicians hear from the best organized, rather than most representative, groups
E) not representative; very few interest groups or social movements are widespread

Question 51

Compare and contrast insider and outsider lobbying techniques.How do these different strategies aim to influence policy makers? How are they alike? How are they different? In your opinion,which set of tactics is most likely to be successful in influencing the policy-making process?

Question 52

A congresswoman is running for re-election to a fifth term in a district with an automobile manufacturing plant that employs many of her constituents.An environmental group,which advocates for stricter emissions standards that would be expensive for the manufacturing plant to implement,is considering giving her a donation.Why might they decide to donate to this campaign?

A) This situation is a Prisoner's Dilemma, and the Congresswoman is more likely to grant evenhanded access to environmentalists and manufacturers if both donate.
B) This situation is a Prisoner's Dilemma, and the Congresswoman will refuse to hear any arguments from environmentalists unless they donate.
C) This situation is an opportunity for investment, since the Congresswoman is just starting her career and is likely to favor groups who support her at this point.
D) This situation is a coordination problem, and the environmental group will only gain any benefit from their contribution if they work with other environmental groups.
E) This situation is a coordination problem, and the environmental group will only gain any benefit from their contribution if they work with advocates for the manufacturing plant.

Question 53

In Germany,the leaders of some labor unions and workers' rights organizations are designated by the government as official representatives of workers.Government officials meet exclusively with these representatives to discuss and formulate policies related to wages,benefits,and working conditions.This arrangement is indicative of ____________________.

A) colonialism
B) pluralism
C) corporatism
D) populism
E) coalitionism

Question 54

Explain how the collective-action problem relates to the organization of interest groups and social movements.How are some groups able to overcome this barrier to collective action? How can interest groups and social movements serve democratic interests? How might interest groups and social movements undermine democratic governance?

Question 55

Which is a system of governance in which large numbers of diverse interest groups are engaged in the policy-making process?

A) colonialism
B) pluralism
C) corporatism
D) populism
E) coalitionism