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The Importance of Interest Groups in the Law-Making Process Essay

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The Importance of Interest Groups in the Law-Making Process

Interest Groups are an important part of the law-making process in many countries. Ideally, they are highly organized groups, composed of citizens that lobby in different ways for a cause. There are literally thousands of different groups in the United States, each putting forth much time and effort for their supporters. This paper will discuss the different types of interest groups, as well as how and why they exist. Without these important groups, many benefits that people have, such as healthcare, wage raises, education, ect, are a direct result of political interest groups. The first type of interest group is called an anomic group. These individual groups have …show more content…

These groups will send lobbyists to actively promote their cause. Representatives will approach legislators directly and distribute materials related to their cause. They will also spend time communicating with those who will listen. Because these groups are associated with large, government-operated organizations, they must follow strict guidelines. The most widely recognized type of interest group is referred to as associational. This is what most people envision when they picture a typical interest group. There are two different distinctions within this group: economic and noneconomic. Both of these types of groups are the backbone of interest groups. Economic groups rally around a shared economic interest, such as unions, truckers association, ect. A noneconomic group supports a non-profit organization, or a related cause, such as NAACP, environmental groups, ect. Noneconomic groups have a larger impact on policy making than economic groups. This is because the American parties tend to "straddle the fence" on issues more so than in other countries. Interest groups have many tactics in approaching legislators in their district. It depends on the amount of power they wield and the amount of money they have. Many interest groups will put most of their money and effort into a political election campaign, hoping that getting a certain party or politician elected will promote their cause in the long run. Sometimes the groups' experts are their

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