Political System And Interest Groups

The interest groups often lobby members of the congress for favorable policy. The members of congress often listen as well because they are depended on the interest groups for political advertising and campaigning during the

In a pluralist democracy like in the United States, interest groups have played a major role throughout the history through highly organized factions and are aimed at different levels of government. Lobbying is one of the tactics of the interest groups to aid their agenda through implementing new laws and regulations. "If you want to have your face in the light, you should have your back in the dark". Similarly, the influences of the interests groups and lobbyists have good and bad effects on the people and the society.

Interest groups can be both bad and good for democracy. The interest groups are able to lobby to congress to help out different organizations. They basically work on a “you do a favor for me and I’ll do a favor for you later” basis. This gives the lobbyist an influence over congress. They can be bad for the democracy because too much influence and power can be a bad thing. The issue they are lobbying for may not be a good cause.

There are many 21st century interest groups that make a difference in our country. An

Interest groups attain a reputation for being powerful through their membership size, their financial resources, and their strategies and tactics.

Interest groups have a lot of influence over decision that the government makes and has made. These groups, when formed right, are highly organized and have a definite agenda they are trying to push that is important to them. Interest groups will lobby in congress as well as other levels of government to get new laws and regulations passed.

Limiting interest group is like cutting off the blood that flows through America’s vein. Interest groups plays a pivotal role in todays U.S society ranging from but not limited to; helping Congress and the administration to draft legislation and policy initiatives, provide information both to government and the public on a broad range of topical issues, and contribute significantly to political

Which is the most likely cause for rapid increase in number of interest groups in recent decades?- Developments in technology made interest group activities easier.

So what characterises the force of an interest group? Let us examine quantity and quality. It is not so much the number of members that makes an interest group influential, like many generally accepted ideas, but more the quality of those members. To be influential, the members must be combative, certainly rich, and must definitely occupy key offices in society. But the best interest groups should have lot of members, as well as having rich and very active members.

It is not debated that pressure groups have a legitimate role in American government due to the rights placed in the constitution; however, many people believe that they damage democracy and have too much power. It is accepted that inevitably people will seek opportunities to advance their own interests and consequently the number of pressure groups has grown considerably in the 1960's and 1970's. Many members of the general public might concede that the interest groups offer some advantages but do not like their ever growing influence.

For example, interest groups, “a group of people who share common goals and organize to influence the government”, can bring about this change. (503, Interest Group Organization). In addition, interest groups, “try to influence government officials to support certain policies” (504, Defining Interest Groups). Therefore, the interest groups’ purpose is to support policies citizens are concerned about. Citizens should engage with interest groups because they connect the gap between the people and the government. Groups, who are made of citizens, spend countless hours and money to bring change to the public by influencing government officials and bringing attention to them. Similar to our Generation Citizen, where together as a class, reached out to city council and our citizen targets to educate the public about the effects of addiction of e-cigs. Interest groups are effective at building relationships with government officials and using funding to draft bills for approval by the government. Engagement is an important role for a citizen because within interest groups, citizens are able to communicate their desires to government officials and protect the well-being of the citizens of America. Furthermore citizens join interest groups to, “protect or promote their economic self-interest… get their beliefs translated into policy” (505, Leadership and Membership). Thus, by joining an interest group, citizens are more likely to get what they desire. For example, union workers are part of interest groups that include labor unions and together, by gathering workers together, they are able to stride for higher wages or better benefits. Another intermediary that engages with citizens are lobbyists. In the textbook it states that, “lobbyists are representatives of interest groups who make direct contact with lawmakers” (508, The Work of

legislation from being passed. In addition, politicians from both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party are supported by interest groups. In fact, the major parties are so heavily influenced and affected by factions that they play a key role in whether or not legislation is passed or rejected. This dilemma has never been more relevant than it is today. As lobbying has grown in recent years, concern has mounted over the consequences of interest group politics. Interest groups are said to threaten the integrity of congressional elections. Problematically, the structure of the American government has not, by itself, prevented some interests from gaining a great advantage at the expense of others. Those with large resources have always

In the chapter titled “Toward a Broader View of Interest Groups” by Terry Moe, he talks about the theoretical perspectives that involve around interest groups. These perspectives are traditional pluralism, Olson’s model of collective action and a new theory in which Terry Moe calls the “revised” perspective. Moe claims that the purpose of the paper is to reinforce the idea that both the traditional pluralist theory and Olson’s collective action are not entirely acceptable. He claims that understanding interest groups would be clearer if the perspective on this subject were made broader so that both views can fit in a single framework. Another purpose of this paper is to suggest that group membership is also an implication of a large variety

Interest groups are organized to create an influence in governmental policies. Interest groups abide by three structures: interest groups share common interests and goals, they are an organized structure, and they desire to influence public policy. Interest groups come in many different sizes and backgrounds but all are important to representatives and reelections. Interest groups typically release documents with representative “report cards” to indicate how well or not a representative is voting in Congress to that specific interest group’s standards.

Americans hold sacred their freedom over all else and many have fought fervently to protect it even to their own death. Yet our freedom and our protected rights are at odds with the power and influence of money at all levels of government; none more obvious than those in Washington. It is precisely this freedom that makes the concept of interest groups and lobbyists a part of our democracy’s dilemma. In “The Interest Group Society,” Jeffrey M. Berry and Clyde Wilcox state: