Author Question: Why has the government attempted to regulate lobbyist activity? Discuss some recent reform efforts. ... (Read 68 times)

londonang · **on:** Jul 10, 2018

Why has the government attempted to regulate lobbyist activity? Discuss some recent reform efforts.

Describe how the law treats lobbying by private and public lobbyists differently. Evaluate whether the government has sufficiently regulated the lobbying industry.

Question 2

Describe the different types of interest groups and how they have grown. How does the influence of interest groups differ according to the type of group? Discuss the role that interest groups play in elections.

What will be an ideal response?

gasdhashg · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 10, 2018

Answer to Question 1

Answer: An ideal response will:
1. Explain how the government attempted to regulate lobbyist activity because Americans believed that congressional votes could be bought.
2. Describe the provisions in the Lobbying Disclosure Act, the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007, and the Ethics in Government Act.
3. Explain how the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007 only applied to private lobbyists.
4. Make a case for whether the government has sufficiently regulated the lobbying industry.

Answer to Question 2

Answer: An ideal response will:
1. Discuss the growth and increasing importance of interest groups in American politics.
2. Point to trends in the evolution of specific types of groups, including the rise of labor unions in the early twentieth century and the explosion of public interest groups since the 1960s.
3. Note that despite the huge growth in all types of interest groups, business interests continue to outnumber other types of groups in terms of their lobbying presence in Washington, D.C.
4. Discuss the increasing importance of interest group involvement in campaigns through political action committees.