The Role of Special Interest Groups in American Politics Essay

A special interest group is a membership of people with the same or similar interests, banded together to shape public policy. These interest groups develop political action committees (PAC’s), “groups of people who organize to support candidates they feel will represent their views (Anderson & Taylor, p.516). Some examples of PAC’s are American Medical Association and National Auto Dealers Association. The larger the membership, the more influence a group can have on a politician. They can use their size as a threat to support another politician or a more powerful tool is money. There are three ways in which an interest group can influence a political candidate, “campaign contributions, lobbying and propaganda”(Anderson & Taylor, p.516). The pluralists view these special interest groups or PAC’s as a representation of the public as various interest

Public interest lobbies form a linkage element between citizens and governmental elites. In lobbying they articulate what they perceive to be the issue positions of certain sectors of society. Public interest groups also play an important role in facilitating the political participation of their members and related attentive publics. By helping to bring new issues to the table, interest groups influence the shape of political agendas.

Pressure groups are formal (Insider) and informal (Outsider) associations whose goals are to further the interests of a specific section of the society to promote a particular cause by influencing the decisions of the government. An insider group is a pressure group which is very involved in the decision making of policies e.g. Cancer Research UK. An outsider group is a pressure who is not associated with decision making as they like to assert their independence and lack political clout e.g. Greenpeace. However there are some outsider groups that want to be affiliated and become an insider, but they have not yet been asked by the government e.g. Association of British Drivers. These groups are also known as “Aspiring Insiders”. These

We start this essay with this famous quote from Berry introducing us to what exactly an interest group is. Indeed in general, public opinion and people unaware of an interest group’s actions might regard interest groups in a negative light. The more famous interest groups can tend to generate a lot of negative publicity. For instance, in the US one of the most famous interest groups is the National Rifle Association, which defends the right to bear weapons. This, of course, has led to controversy especially given the recent high school shootings in

Pressure groups enable new concerns and issues to reach the political agenda, thereby facilitating social progress and preventing social stagnation. For example, the women’s and environmentalist movements.Pressure groups increase social cohesion and political stability by providing a ‘safety-valve’ outlet for individual and collective grievances and demands.Pressure groups assist the surveillance of the government by exposing information it would rather keep secret, thereby reinforcing and complementing work of opposition through political parties. Pressure groups thereby improve the accountability of decision makers to electorates.

However, political parties select candidates for the position of president. Parties also present policy alternatives for voters and some voters even choose candidates from the same party for all positions in that election. A party that doesn’t hold the majority in Congress often keeps the party in power from taking complete control. Party leaders can also criticize actions of the President that was voted by the opposite party. They take control on issues and discuss the points of view of others parties, which is important because they can then inform the public about the issues and how to solve them. Representatives usually support their party’s decisions when considering laws and policies. Interest groups consists of organizations that pressure elected officials to enact legislation favorable to its causes. The most common type of interest group is formed around businesses, corporations, and trade associations and part of their reputation for power is based on the fact that they represent about half of all interest groups. Interest groups are actively involved in the political campaigns, electioneering is intended to help others elect candidates who favor their position or defeat those of the opposite

interest groups are activity involved in the legislature process (on the national level) seeking to

Pluralism is when different groups in politics compete amongst each other. Each group’s goal is to gain control or influence government policies. Pluralism is difficult in Democratic government. It is messy and often disliked by the public. In American society, the role of interest groups is to influence the government. These groups are able to influence the government by lobbying government officials. The role of political parties is to control the government by getting party members elected into office. With pluralism in a Democratic government, interest groups

People are important for the success of democracy. After electing their representatives, some individuals wish to be more involved in legislative decisions that affect them, so they take to lobbying and joining interest groups. This often provides them with an atmosphere of individuals who think like they do, while also allowing them to play more of a role than just voting for a few people to represent them. Lobbying and interest groups also allow for issues to be brought to the attention of the legislature and provide a way for these groups to talk to the legislators, whether it is over dinner or at a concert. By voicing their opinions and placing pressures on the legislation, these groups have become successful in fighting for their passions and their views on important

The Political Stream is made up of many different aspects public mood, pressure group campaigns, election results, ideological distributions in Congress, and changes of administration. These developments impact the agendas and what issues become more or less of a priority.

Rather than nominate candidates that share their beliefs for governmental positions, interest groups merely try to gain the attention of those already in office. Furthermore, political parties have very broad platforms and opinions that they prioritize. Interest groups usually have one or two stances that they will not concede, like anti-gun laws or pro-life opinions (“The Relationship”). Because of this difference in policies, political parties and interest groups often have sharply contrasting structures. Political parties, with all the topics that they form opinions about, are more flexible.

Public policy is the course of actions taken by the government that includes laws, plans, actions and the behavior of the government. The most effective way to influence public policy would be to lobby for the interest group that supports the problem that needs to be addressed by society and the government. Interest groups are organizations of people with shared goals to influence specific public policies, such as the National Rifle Association wanting to protect gun rights. The representatives for these particular interest groups are called lobbyists, whom are registered to inform the Clerk of the House and the Secretary of the Senate of the issue or laws being addressed, what agencies/branches of the government are being contacted, and

Interest groups and political parties both play exceptionally important roles in the way our government works. For many Americans, it is often easy to get the two confused or believe they are the same thing. This, however, is incorrect. These institutions have different responsibilities and duties that help shape our country on a day to day basis. Interest groups and political parties may seem synonymous, yet they are in fact different and each holds an important place in government and contributes to pluralism in particularly specific ways.

As the number of political parties has fallen, that of pressure groups has increased. In the voluntary sector alone, one third of the population is involved in regular work for organisations, several of which can be described as a pressure group. They are organised groups that don't put up candidates for election, but seek to influence government policy or legislation. These organisations are also described as interest groups, lobby groups, or protest groups. The term pressure group can inadvertently be interpreted as groups that use actual pressure to achieve their aims.

A pressure group is an association that may be formal or informal, whose purpose it is to further the interests of a specific section of society or to promote a particular cause. Pressure groups normally fall under 3 classifications, sectional which represent a specific section of the public, e.g. Age UK, promotion which promotes a particular cause, e.g. Greenpeace and finally dual-function who are a combination of both sectional and promotional, e.g. Countryside Alliance. Pressure groups can also be either insider groups which means that they have a close relationship with the government and have regular consultation with them and also take part in the decision-making process, e.g. National Farmers Union, British Medical Association and