Interest Groups in SC

1
Interest Groups in SC

• Bob Botsch

2
The Founding Fathers and Factions (Federalist
Number 10)

• Factions interest groups parties
• Factions a natural outgrowth of freedom and human
  nature
• Undermine the public interest
• Endanger stability
• Solution is republican principle democratic
  pluralism in large nation
• Problem in SC lack of sufficient diversity for
  pluralismbut growing

3
Range of Interest Groups in SC and why active

• Business groups 1 in size and power
• Agriculture in long term decline (Farm Bureau)
• Professional/Occupation groups growing (SCEA
  Bar)
• Unions and workers groups, natural counterweight
  to business are extremely weak (Teamsters) (SC
  State Employees)
• Ideological/single/public interest issue groups
  growing (SC Policy Council)
• Intergovernmental groups (Municipal Association)
• Free rider problem particularly a problem for
  public interest groups like the Coastal
  Conservation League

4
Targets/Techniques of Interest Group Activity

• Legislature information, campaign support,
  smoozing or wining and dining
• Bureaucracy information, political support,
  litigation
• Grassroots (us!) public relations to alter
  public opinionthe goal what is good for ___ is
  good for SC!

5
Growth in Registered Lobbyists
6
Lobbying, 2011 s Figures compiled by Phil
Noble

• SC has 542 registered lobbyists, and 545 lobbyist
  principals (the people who pay the lobbyist)
• there are 822 different lobbying contracts, often
  with one principal hiring multiple lobbyists
• 12 state agencies have lobbyists, mostly colleges
  and universities
• 36 separate contracts is the largest number of
  contracts for one lobbyist
• 11,118 is the average size of a lobbyist
  contract
• 142,000 is the biggest single lobbying contract
  from a single principal
• 22 lobbyists make over 100,000 a year in direct
  lobbying contracts alone
• 525,802 is the largest amount paid in various
  contracts to a single lobbyist
• 11,385,031 is the total paid to lobbyists in
  2011 for lobbying contracts
• 12,113,965 is the total of lobbyist payments,
  including contracts and expenses
• 71,258 per legislator is the total lobbying cost
  per legislator, for 124 Representatives and 46
  Senators (does not include campaign )

7
The 2000 Lottery Battle and Interest Group Power

• Lesson large groups do not always win
• Especially when the smaller groups have more
• And more unity
• Social conservative groups not as dominant as
  they once were as culture of state changes, but
  regional differences remain

8
Region and the 2000 Lottery Vote Up vs Low
Country
9
Factors that Affect Interest Group Power

• State policy domain changes from year to year,
  e.g. payday lending in 2009 budget cuts state
  retirement in 2012
• Inter-governmental spending and policy making
  efforts shift depending on where money is and who
  makes policy, e.g. today? Rejection of federal
  for education
• Political Attitudes traditionalist culture
  less likely to get organized and protest
• Level of integration/fragmentation higher means
  more opportunity (access points) for interest
  groups and their lobbyists
• Professionalism interest groups match level in
  govt
• Socioeconomic development increases diversity
  and possibility of pluralism

10
How to Determine the Power of Interest Groups and
Who is Powerful

• Reputational approachbusinesstables
• Decisions approachvaries with decision
• Non-decisions approachbusiness
• Groups resources approachbusiness

11
How well democratic pluralism applies to South
Carolina

• Growing diversity within business sectorno
  longer King Cotton
• Growing educated middle class, especially with
  in-migrant retirees (non-southerners about 12
  of population in 2011)
• Still primarily conservative Protestant
• Unions still weak
• Liberal groups still weak (e.g. civil rights,
  environment)

12
Conclusions

• Interest groups still dominant force in SC
• More important than political parties
• Conditions for pluralism increasing