there are many functions and purposesof interest groups in our country. basically an interest group is a group of individuals who want to influence change within the government. these interest groups are for civil liberties, and this is one function. another function is that they want to change policies by directly dealing with people who have the authority to change these policies, or to put them into effect. they also build alliances, campaign assistance, as well as other forms of pressure as functions of their purpose.political parties on the other hand, want to run the government vs just influence it, and they want to make and enforce policies.
Are pressure groups becoming more powerful? (24 Marks) A pressure group is an organised group of people, who attempt to influence the legislature passed by parliament without actually selecting an electoral candidate. There are several different means by which pressure groups can seek public attention, whether it be protests, marches or lobbying. In the UK there is some concern as to whether pressure groups are too powerful and become undemocratic. One of the factors to this power is the many ‘access points’ to government.
Its functions consist of nominating candidates to office that the people would vote for and attaching their party name to the candidate to influence voter choice, organize and run elections, and organize the legislature. A political party can unite people of different ethnic or religious groups who may come together because of a position that they have taken with the party. The parties try to accomplish their goals by appealing to what positions the voters want so that they might gain the majority of the seats within Congress and have influencing power within the government. The downfalls of the parties are that they may create a platform and then once in office not fulfill that obligation. Once the party is in control they have influence over all levels of government.
Insider groups may be involved in the decision-making process by being on committees with Ministers, MPs and civil servants, as well as writing advisory papers and sponsoring MPs. Outsider groups also have an opportunity to lobby politicians and their views will often be taken into consideration. There is criticism of the undue influence that may be wielded by the large and wealthy groups. There are some very large and wealthy pressure groups which can afford to use expert parliamentary lobbyists, who know the parliamentary and legislative system and can make direct contact with Ministers and MPs. Some people argue that some pressure groups have more opportunities than others to influence what decisions are made by Parliament.
If bills get past the committee stage, members can make influential recommendations as they are perceived to be policy specialists. This could mean it is harder to gather enough votes due to the range of evidence provided and therefore the bill can be rejected at the 2nd or 3rd readings. The issue of ‘pork-barrel’ politics also arises in the committee stage. Congressmen may insert ‘earmarks’ into bills, which is a provision that gives money to a particular Congressman’s state. In order for many bills to get passed there is often a need for compromise between members of Congress as such favours are often exchanged in order to gain crucial votes on legislation.
Why and how do US Pressure Groups attempt to influence election results? US pressure groups attempt to influence election results to get sympathisers into power and monitor how these individuals use the power. William Storey sums up the reason why Pressure groups try and get influence an election into two goals, the first is to help sympathetic people win elections. The second is to make sure those elected help use their power to advance the agenda of the group that helped them win. It is clear that pressure groups do gain influence over election results as there are concerns that pressure groups play a too significant role in elections, potentially making politicians more responsive to their agenda than to the concerns of the voters.
Pressure groups are becoming more powerful and influential and important in enhancing democracy. Some pressure groups such as Greenpeace use direct action to gain attention from government and from media It's about taking direct action against the government, so it is still political. You're seeking to influence the government by what you do. If you're campaigning, a result of it can be direct action You may be trying to cause a public inconvenience through things like strikes. Pluralists would say that Pressure Group power is democratically based and so the larger you are the more spread that power is.
In today’s political world, it is sometimes difficult to distinguish between pressure groups and political parties. Although there are certain differences between the two, there are factors which make the lines blur Firstly, both parties and pressure groups have input in the legislative process. Insider groups have influence on government and often an important decision may be made as a result of a powerful stunt done by a pressure group. Also, some top pressure groups are funded by the taxpayers money which blurs the distinction between them and political parties. State-funded PG include ASH and Greenpeace.
While interest groups and political parties each play a significant role in the United States political system, they differ in their fundamental goals. (a) Identify the fundamental goal of interest groups in the political process. (b) Identify the fundamental goal of major political parties in the political process. (c) Describe two different ways in which interest groups support the fundamental goal of political parties in the political process. (d) For one of the means of support you described in (c), explain two different ways in which that form of support helps interest groups to achieve their fundamental goal in the political process.
A lobbyist is a person who tries to influence legislation on behalf on a special interest. They are very knowledgeable of the legislative process. Lobbyists assist in the preparation and presentation of information, arrange testimony for congressional hearings, and arrange and attend face-to-face meetings with congressional staff. They have personal discussions with member of the congress in which they explain the position they advocate. There is much pressure being a lobbyist because if they give incorrect information or bad advice one time it is noted and they lose credibility that’s necessary for success.