Interest Group

Whether condemned as a special interest or cherished as a special way that citizens can have their say in government, the interest group is an integral part of the American political process. An interest group, or lobby, is an organized body of individuals who share goals and try to influence public policy. The operative elements of this definition are “organized” and “influence public policy.” African Americans, farmers, manufacturers, and workers are not interest groups in and of themselves. Being unorganized, they are interests and potential interest groups. But the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), and the AFL-CIO are organized groups seeking to influence government policy.

Not all interest group activity is carried on by huge groups such as the AFL-CIO or AFBF. Some organizations consist only of a small staff backed by financial patrons. For example, the Media Access Project is a public interest law firm concerned about the public's access to government information.

Most interest groups have lobbyists on their staffs, or at least on a retainer to represent the group. The latter category includes the so-called hired guns—Washington lawyers, public relations consultants, and other professionals, who, for a fee, try to influence government policy for their clients. Many of the most prominent lobbyists have close ties to policy makers because they used to work for the government. They have included powerful lawmakers, such as former Senate majority leader Howard Baker, former House Speaker Thomas Foley, and former House Appropriations chairman Robert Livingston, as well as former executive branch and congressional staffers.

Interest groups receive a lot of bad press. Yet they perform an essential function in American democracy: they are one way in which people who share the same attitudes or interests can be represented informally before Congress, executive agencies, and state and local legislative or regulatory bodies. This informal system of group representation supplements the formal system of geographic area representation used in Congress—states in the Senate and districts in the House of Representatives.

In their representational roles, interest groups provide policy makers with specialized information that otherwise might not be readily available. Interest groups also are an avenue for more effective political participation than is likely to be achieved by a lone person picketing in front of the White House.

Composition and Growth