Texas Politics - Interest Groups

1	Introduction
	1.	Looking Ahead
2	Interest Group Types
	1.	Public Interest Groups
	2.	Private Interest Groups
3	Interest Groups, Political Parties
4	How Interest Groups Form
	1.	Private vs. Public Goods
	2.	Concentrated Benefits vs. Diffuse Costs
	3.	Changes in Technology
5	What Interest Groups Do
	1.	Bringing Individuals Together
	2.	Informing the Public and Elected Representatives
	3.	Organizing Electoral Competition
	4.	Organizing (Sub)Government
	5.	Linking to National Politics
6	How They Do It: Techniques
	1.	Lobbying
	2.	Petitions, Letter Writing, Phone
	3.	Public Demonstrations
	4.	Media Campaigns
	5.	Attending Public Meetings
	6.	Legal Action
	7.	Illegal Action
7	Conclusion

Appendices
	1.	Print-friendly format
	2.	Key words and phrases
	3.	Multimedia resources

Organizing for change

Non-profit organizations and politics

How They Do It: Interest Group Tools and Techniques

Interest groups have an array of tools and techniques at their disposal for seeking political influence. The specific tools and techniques that an interest group might utilize depend on its resources, the policies it advocates, and the context in which a group is acting. Typical interest group tools and techniques include:

This list of techniques illustrates the great variety in strategic choice that interest groups may enjoy when attempting to influence public policy. Some of these techniques are narrowly tailored to directly influencing government officials such as legislators, elected members of the executive branch, or members of the government bureaucracy. Other tactics aim to mobilize public opinion in favor of an interest group's objectives – often with the ultimate objective of using public opinion to pressure decisions makers. Some of these tactics may not aim at government at all, instead attempting to influence the behavior of private entities like business enterprises or even individuals.

Most interest groups – even those organized around private interests – are formed as non-profits. Groups must be aware of their tax status and engage only in activities that their federal status permits. The table Nonprofits and Politics summarizes the major federal rules that govern the activities of political organizations.

If you are a member of a group attempting to become politically active, this chapter's Getting Involved feature Organizing for Change also can help you think practically about strategy and tactics.