Gov: Interest Groups

A primary difference between a political party and a typical interest group is that the political party

• promotes public policies

• addresses a broad range of issues

• influences policymakers

• addresses a narrow range of issues

The most fully organized interest groups are those that represent

• agriculture

• labor

• business

• citizens

An interest group that focuses on policy benefits for senior citizens would be an example of a(n)

• ideological group

• professional group

• business group

• single issue group

Ideological groups are distinct from single issue groups in

• the number of issues with which they are concerned

• the intensity of their members’ opinions

• their tendency to get involved in election campaigns

• that members do not seek to influence the political process

The situation where individuals are tempted not to contribute to a cause because they will get the benefits even if they do not participate is called

• the size factor

• the special interest paradox

• the free-rider problem

• the disincentive factor

In order to overcome the free-rider problem, noneconomic groups have

• deliberately restricted the size of their membership

• joined up with economic groups

• adopted taxes for nonmembers

• created individual benefits (for example, newsletters and social events) for group members

Economic groups have an advantage over noneconomic groups because

• they nearly always have larger memberships

• they are organized primarily for political purposes

• they have better leadership

• they have greater access to financial resources

Interest group activity is basic to the democratic process because it

• serves to promote the concerns of various interests in society

• is by far the best means of deciding policy issues

• is an effective substitute for political party activity

• is entirely fair to all interests in society

The most well-financed interest groups are those that promote

• social services

• political ideologies

• corporate interests

• public interests

The idea that political power should be distributed and shared among various groups in society is

• centrism

• pluralism

• socialism

• libertarianism