5.6

• Interest groups can

  • Educate voters & office holders about the interest group's cause
  • Engage in lobbying
  • Hold meetings with policy-makers to influence them to pass legislation in their favor
  • Draft legislation
  • Mobilize its members to apply pressure to legislators & government agencies
• Iron Triangle


  The mutually beneficial relationship between interest groups, Congress & government agencies
• Issue Networks


  Many interest groups come together to achieve a short-term policy goal
• Factors that can influence interest groups

  • Influenced by inequality of political & economic resources
  • Interest groups fund policymakers' campaigns
  • Unequal access to decision makers
  • Free-Rider Problem: People who benefits from interest group efforts than members of the group