Chapter 10: Interest Groups and Lobbying

Chapter 10 - Interest Groups and Lobbying

"In this chapter, we answer several key questions about interest groups. What are they, and why and how do they form? How do they provide avenues for political participation? Why are some groups advantaged by the lobbying of government representatives, while others are disadvantaged? Finally, how do interest groups try to achieve their objectives, and how are they regulated?"

You can read this chapter by clicking on the following link.  Many students will prefer to read the textbook chapters directly on the OpenStax website.  You will be able to save highlights and notes after creating an account on the OpenStax website.  

Chapter 10:  https://openstax.org/books/american-government-3e/pages/10-introduction Links to an external site.

If you prefer not to leave Canvas, you can instead read the embedded chapter below. 

📘 Embedded Chapter

Audio Resources

You can access an audiobook recording of this chapter by opening the embedded audio players below.  This resource is helpful for students who prefer to listen to audio while reading the text. 

⏱ Timestamps:

  • 0:00:00 - Welcome
  • 0:00:38 - Introduction
  • 0:02:34 - Interest Groups Defined (10.1)
  • 0:24:55 - Collective Action and Interest Group Formation (10.2)
  • 0:38:31 - Interest Groups as Political Participation (10.3)
  • 1:08:12 - Pathways of Interest Group Influence (10.4)
  • 1:21:47 - Free Speech and the Regulation of Interest Groups (10.5)
  • 1:36:44 - Credits

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts

🎧 Listen on Spotify

📝 License

This project was developed by Brian Barrick Links to an external site. and is offered under a Creative Commons License (CC-BY-SA-4.0).

This is an audio adaptation of American Government 3e by OpenStax.  Access for free at openstax.org Links to an external site.. Some editorial changes were made to ensure a better listening experience.  The audio from this project is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY-SA-4.0).  The intro and outro music is “Take Me Higher” by Jahzzar Links to an external site. (CC-BY-SA).

The funding for this project was provided by CC-ECHO (California Consortium for Equitable Change in Hispanic Serving Institutions Open Educational Resources). You can learn more about CC-ECHO at https://www.hancockcollege.edu/ccecho Links to an external site..

The formatting of this Canvas instructor resource page was inspired by the UC Irvine Division of Teaching Excellence and Innovation (DTEI). Their Canvas template Links to an external site. is available under a Creative Commons license (CC-BY) and served as a reference.

The contents of this audiobook were developed under an Open Textbooks Pilot grant from the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE), U.S. Department of Education.  However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.