Lecture 9-1

Madisonian Assumptions

• James Madison’s concerns over the effect of factions stemmed from his belief that man is very self-interested. Madison assumed that certain factions would mitigate the problems of factions as he discussed in Federalist #10

• Madison assumed that the size of the nation and the problems of communication would make it difficult for actions to coordinating their efforts.

• Madison assumed that the would be a grot number of interests, so one groups could not size complete control. These numerous groups would compete and keep each other in check

• Madison assumed that when the groups kept each other’s interest in check, political leaders would be free to pursue the common good.

Interest Groups

• Associations of people who hold common views and who work together to influence what government does

• America is commonly considered a pluralist democracy, containing many different groups with each looking to secure its members interests.

Interest Groups

• The principal task of government is to manage the interplay of group interests

• Interest groups are also identified as one of the greatest threats to the continuing viability of the American political system

Characteristics of Interest Groups

• The different forms and features that interest groups assume can have an impact on a groups effectiveness.

• Size

• Membership, including the importance of latent interest groups

• Organization

Ties to Politics

• The more closely a groups is tied to political issues, personalities, and organizations, the more likely it is effective politically

Ties to Politics

• This is called proximity, which has several elements

– Salience

– Transmission of standards

– Legitimacy

Agreement with Societal Consensus

• Where a groups stands in relation to the consensus of American politics has considerable effect on how influential it will be.

• This helps to explain why the civil rights movement enjoyed the success it did in the 1960's.