Day 7 Notes
- 1. Parties, Interest Groups, and Public Policy Day 7 TCI ch8 July 1, 2008
- 2. Day 7 Notes (TCI ch8) Essential Question: Political parties and interest groups: How do they influence our political decisions?
- 3. Notes political party - an organization that seeks to achieve power by electing its members to public office interest group - organized group whose members share a common goal and try to promote their interests by influencing gov’t policy and decision making
- 4. Political Parties in US parties recruit candidates and support campaigns parties help organize elections and inform voters parties organize the government parties unite diverse interests and make collective action possible parties serve as loyal opposition to the political party in power
- 5. Political Parties in US parties are organized at national, state, and local level US has a two-party system
- 6. Repubs and Dems see book p145
- 7. Third Parties single-issue party - formed to promote or oppose one issue (Right to Life Party) economic protest party - ideological party - formed by people committed to a set of beliefs (Libertarian) splinter party - people unhappy with major party (Bull Moose/Dixiecrat)
- 8. Interest Groups bring together many people for different purposes ACLU, NRA, Sierra Club, SADD, NEA, VFW people join for benefits (AARP, AAA) or because agree with groups goals
- 9. Political Action Committees Political action committee (PAC) - organization that raises and distributes funds to candidates; donations come from employees or members
- 10. PAC influence lobbying - influence public policy by persuading officials to favor or oppose action on an issue also: research, litigation, grassroots mobilization
- 11. PAC power power comes from: size and money unity of purpose effective leadership information and expertise
- 12. public policy public policy - plan or course of action initiated by gov’t to achieve stated goal 1. issue identification - seeing what needs attention 2. agenda setting - choosing issue to address 3. policy formation - deciding what to do
- 13. public policy 4. adoption - putting proposals into action (i.e. legislation) 5. implementation - gov’t agency carries out policy 6. evaluation - assessing the effectiveness of a policy
- 14. end of notes