Chapter 7 Multiple Choice Questions

. What is the main fundamental difference between interest groups and parties?

The fundamental difference is that interest groups do not usually seek to run candidates directly for public office.

The fundamental difference is that interest groups do not usually focus on a variety of issues; they focus on one, unlike parties which focus on many.

The fundamental difference is that interest groups do not usually get involved in partisan politics whereas political parties do.

The fundamental difference is that interest groups are not funded organisations with a guaranteed budget unlike political parties who receive funding from the Electoral Commission.

. Which empirical political theorist held the view that interest groups can convey intense preferences so that small groups have a presence in debate, balancing out less intense preference held by larger-sized groups and interests?

Robert Denis (1956)

Rahul Dein (1965)

Robert Dahl (1956)

Ransoul Duke (1965)

. 'That some groups (due to unequal distribution of property in society) can dominate politics and neglect the public interest as a result' is called …

fear of exclusion (Hamilton and Madison 2015).

fear of faction (Hamilton and Madison 2015).

fear of micro-tyranny (Hamilton and Madison 2015).

fear of marginalisation (Hamilton and Madison 2015).

. What is meant by the term 'neo-pluralism'?

This describes inequalities of resources and wealth between political parties that generate unfair outcomes. It is also about how formal routines favour the wealthy and other powerful groups.

This describes network inequalities of social capital between groups that generate unfair outcomes. It is about the marginalisation of certain opinions, values and beliefs as a result of lack of representation in the political debate.

This describes institutionalised inequalities of power between socio-economic groups that generate unfair outcomes. It is also about how formal routines and anticipated reactions favour the upper-class and other socio-economic groups with wealth.

This describes systematic inequalities of power and resources between groups that generate unfair outcomes. It is also about how informal routines and anticipated reactions favour business and other systematically powerful groups.

. Black Lives Matter is an example of what?

A political protest

A social movement

A pressure group

An interest group

. Why is it difficult to offer a strong backing for a causal claim about the power of pressure or interest groups?

This is because interest groups do not exercise power but rather influence. Interest groups and pressure groups do not hold power as they are not formally embedded into the political process.

This is because interest group and pressure group power waxes and wanes constantly. It is hard to measure therefore as power is always fluctuating.

This is because to measure power we must first categorise the interest or pressure group; however this is not static. An interest group, for example, could be an insider group one year and then an outsider group the next. Thus measuring power is hard.

This is because it is very difficult to establish a counterfactual of what would have happened if the group had not been present or had not lobbied.

. What did Bernhagen find in his 2012 newspaper analysis of British and Scottish newspapers and 163 policy proposals advanced by UK governments between 2001-2007?

Bernhagen finds that support from interest groups is positively related to a proposal becoming policy. The positions of business groups are not better reflected in policy outcomes than those of non-business groups.

Bernhagen finds that support from interest groups is negatively related to a proposal becoming policy. The positions of business groups are better reflected in policy outcomes than those of non-business groups.

Bernhagen finds that support from interest groups is positively related to a proposal becoming policy. The positions of business groups are better reflected in policy outcomes than those of non-business.

Bernhagen finds that support from interest group is negatively related to a proposal becoming policy. The positions of business groups are not better reflected in policy outcomes than those of non-business groups.

. What is lobbying?

The active process by which interest groups seek to influence legislative debate. This involves providing information to ministers and civil servants and actively seeking to persuade them to support their cause.

The active process by which interest groups seek to influence public policy. This involves providing information to policy-makers and actively seeking to persuade them to support their cause.

The active process by which interest groups seek to influence public opinion. This involves providing information to the public and actively seeking to persuade them to support their cause, in a bid to catch policy-maker attention.

The active process by which interest groups seek to influence government. This involves providing information to the ruling party and actively seeking to persuade them to support their case.

. What did Bernhagen find in his 2013 study analysing UK lobbying success against data on policy outcomes?

The results of the study suggest that the interaction between policy makers and lobbyists are driven mainly by timing, providing lobbyists with strong incentives to lobby government closer to election time.

The results of the study suggest that the interaction between policy makers and lobbyists are driven mainly by the expected policy cost for policy-makers, providing lobbyists with strong incentives to provide correct advice to policy-makers.

The results of the study suggest that the interaction between policy makers and lobbyists are driven mainly by the expected popularity gains to be won from the public, providing lobbyists with strong incentives to lobby a political party close to their cause.

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