The Interest Group Essay - 1015 Words

An interest group is a group that seeks a collective good, the achievement of which will not selectively and materially benefit the membership or activists of the organization. These organizations try to achieve at least some of their goals with government assistance. The difference between interest groups and political parties is that political parties seek to constitute the government, whereas interest groups try only to influence it. Some of the things that interests groups seek from government are information that affects the interests of the interest group, influence of the government policy, goodwill of the administrators who carry out the policy, and symbolic status. Some of the sources of interest group strength are†¦show more content†¦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 impor tant 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. There are three basic reasons why government officials and their staffers will take the first step in contacting an interest group. First, interest groups may be the target of efforts to enlist them as supporters of a particular policy position. A member of Congress or an agency head may feel that a policy he is pushing is not receiving the backing it should from the private sector. He may try to persuade representatives of interest groups to become more active on behalf of the cause. Second, interest groups are valuable sources of political intelligence. They can provide information concerning the lobbying activities of all other interest groups, pros and cons, on the issue at hand. They can also act as eyes and ears for their friends in government. Third, people in government may come to interest groups for the purpose of obtaining substantive data with regard to an issue. Congressional and agency staffs rarely have time to gather all the information they need on their own. In terest groups can be useful inShow MoreRelatedInterest Groups593 Words   |  3 PagesErin Rocker AP Gov Per 4 10/30/13 Interest Groups Litigation- the act or process of bringing or contesting a legal action in court. Litigation is used to put pressure on officials in order to achieve their goals. Legal strategies are used to affect public opinion on certain issues that the interest group is advocating. In addition to litigation, interest groups also use the media to make their stand on certain issues known to the general public. Campaign Contributions-refers to all funds raisedRead MoreInterest Groups2248 Words   |  9 PagesWEEK 8 ASSIGNMENT Interest Groups Professor Karina Arzumanova U.S. Goverment An Interests Group is defined as an organization of people or a letterhead organization, sharing a common interest or goal that seeks to influence the making of public policy. In the American political system, there are a wide variety of interest groups that are organized for the sole purpose of exerting influence on the political and legal systems. These groups play a central role in deciding whoRead MoreCharacteristics Of An Interest Group1471 Words   |  6 Pagesidea of having interest groups, groups that are supposed to represent the ideas of the majority of society. Interest groups have representatives pressure policy makers to make policies based off what the people want. That’s what democracy is having the majority vote decide what goes on in country. The characteristics of an interest group seem to correlate with all the values of representative democracy, a person represents a common interest within a group of people Interest groups started as earlyRead MoreThe Expansion Of Interest Groups747 Words   |  3 PagesThe emergence of interest groups in the European Union weakened the union’s overall power ; however, many politicians collaborate with them to gain an advantage. It is important to remember that interest groups are private firms, who can allocate their resources to provide studies for political actors. Interest groups provide â€Å"policymaking expertise, and implementation and monitoring capacity, the potential for a consolidated collective viewpoint, and the potential to enhance legitimacy â€Å"(Bache,Read MoreInterest Groups in Taxation1540 Words   |  7 PagesWashington is considered by the American public as interest groups. Even James Madison described them in the federalist papers he wrote in 1787 as â€Å"factions† that could be dangerous. The modern day hasn’t changed much. People today largely agree with Madison in how they view interest groups. What interest groups do, how they are supported, and what their stances are an interesting mix of controversy, clash, and representation. Interest groups are there to represent the people, usually a portionRead MoreInterest Groups Essay990 Words   |  4 PagesAn interest group is an organized group of people that come together to attempt to influence policymakers in any level of government. They influence the different levels of government by giving money to a political candidate. They write letters, emails, and make phone calls to the policymakers. They attempt to get the policymakers to make legislation reflecting the objectives of the group (This Nation, 2008). Americans choose to join these interest groups because they are motivated by the groupsRead MoreAmerican Interest Groups3651 Words   |  15 PagesHow do interest groups influence policy? Use examples to illustrate your answer. â€Å"Interest groups are no less a threat than they are an expression of freedom† (Berry, 1984). 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 negativeRead MoreThe Effects of Interest Groups on Politics1436 Words   |  6 PagesInfluence of interest groups on the American legislature We elect politicians on the basis on the issues by which they stand, and these issues are either held up or weakened by the numerous interest groups that exist today. Interest groups target both major and minor issues, using all of their resources to sponsor or overpower the groups concern. Interest groups are composed of a limited range of the body of voters who have a great stake in the issues their group support. They make evidentRead MorePolitical Parties And Interest Groups940 Words   |  4 Pagesparties and interest groups are able to get citizens to participate in politics and political party participants or interest group members. This is a comparison and contrast paper. The following will be a comparison between political parties and interest groups. Three points will be mentioned. The first point will be the purpose, the second will be the role they play and finally three strategies parties and interest groups use to get people to participate. A political party is a group of well-dedicatedRead MorePolitical Parties And Interest Groups1088 Words   |  5 Pagesparties and interest groups are able to get citizens to participate in politics and political party participants or interest group members. This is a comparison and contrast paper. The following will be a comparison between political parties and interest groups. Three points will be mentioned. The first point will be the purpose, the second will be the role they play and finally three strategies parties and interest groups use to get people to participate. A political party is a group of dedicated