Interest Groups
Describe the different types of interest groups (single issue groups and public interest groups) and the goals that each type pursues.
Single-issue interest groups are exactly that: groups concerned with one issue, and one issue only. Although the single interest might overlap with broader issues or related interests, the main goal of a single-interest group is to promote legislation related to the target area. For example, the National Rifle Association (NRA) can be considered a single-interest group. Its concerns range within the rubric of gun rights, but the NRA lobbying effort remains solely concerned with Second Amendment issues. Although the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) does not use political lobbying as aggressively as does the NRA, it can also be considered a single-issue interest group. PETA is concerned primarily about the humane treatment of animals and advocates policies that prohibit animal testing and slaughterhouses, for example. Other examples of single-interest groups include Planned Parenthood, which promotes women's health issues related to reproductive freedom. On the other side of that particular debate, groups like Americans United for Life (AUL) seeks to ban abortions, and would lobby politicians in order to achieve this primary goal. Labor rights organizations like the AFL-CIO can also be considered single interest groups, but are also commonly afforded their own category as being labor unions ("Interest Groups").
Public interest groups are more comprehensive in their scope. The range of specific issues a public interest groups deal with can be large, complex, and expansive. For example, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) addresses issues ranging from internet censorship to gay rights. The members comprising a public interest group like the ACLU could come from any political party or end of the political spectrum. However, often a public interest group will end up taking firm stances on issues that matter to single-issue voters, thereby isolating (or including) those voting blocks. For example, an anti-abortion voter would not support the ACLU, which advocates the right for a woman to have an abortion.
Another huge public interest group is the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP). Although AARP serves a specific demographic (seniors), the organization addresses a number of issues that ultimately impact, or serve the needs of, the general population. This is especially true given the fact that all persons who do not die young will certainly grow old. Goals of public interest groups will depend on specific hot topics, but generally their mission statements should clarify stances on specific political topics.
Do interest groups serve a positive or negative purpose in the policy process? Why?
Interest groups probably have a net-neutral effect on the policy process. On the one hand, interest groups can be classified as advocacy organizations and are crucial for the effective functioning of a large democracy. Interest groups represent individual voters in ways that are more direct, and in some ways more meaningful, than politicians' relationships with their constituents. It would be nearly impossible for a single voter to get his or her voice heard on issues such as abortion rights. Yet when joining forces with a special interest group, the person's concerns may be voiced among likeminded voters. With resources pooled together, a group of women concerned about reproductive freedom can lobby Washington. The interest group therefore facilitates the democratic process.
For example, an individual who is kicked out of school for wearing a shirt that says "We're here, We're Queer, Get Used to It!" might find legal assistance with the ACLU. Otherwise, that student would probably not be able to afford legal council. After using the services of the ACLU, the individual also makes a difference by getting publicity for the issue of gay rights and freedom of speech. The special interest group facilitates the democratic process by drawing attention to political issues using the tools of the media and public relations.
A voter concerned about their gun rights might join the National Rifle Association, so that they can contribute to the protection of Second Amendment rights. This also allows the pro-gun voter to know which candidates support gun rights, and which do not. With issues like
Interest groups are organizations of people with similar policy goals who intend to influence a process to achieve their policy goals. Interest groups have been their since time immemorial with some being as old as the independent United States. Interest groups normally persuade elected representatives to share their point-of-view especially in democracies. In fact, they are a necessary requirement for democracies. A more universal definition of interest groups is a
Interest Groups in 2012 Presidential Election President Barak Obama was elected in 2008. This was an historic occasion in American history, given that Obama was the first African-American ever to assume the nation's highest office. His victory was also remarkable because of the overwhelmingly 'young' demographic composition of the voters who elected him. Voting turnout has been on the decline for many years in the United States, but has been particularly
Interest Groups and How Their Influence on Public Policy Interest Groups and their influence on public Policy Interest groups are clusters of people that come into existent to make stresses on government. The leading interest groups that are located in the United States are financial or occupational, but a range of other clusters -- philosophical, public interest, foreign policy, government itself, and ethnic, religious, and cultural -- have memberships that cut across
Interest Groups Seek Influence Public Policy Interest Groups Seek Influence Making Public Policy Define an interest group, with examples An interest group can be described as an association that is formally organized that is in pursuit of influencing public policy. The wider description, scholars using it increasingly, older contrasts with it, narrower ones, which are inclusive of private associations only that their formal organization is distinct like Italy's General Confederation of industry and
Interest Groups A FORCE TO RECKON WITH Special Interest Groups An interest group, or a special interest group, is a group of concerned individuals who share common goals (JB-HDNP, 2012). They connect the public to lawmakers and vice versa. They try to sway public opinion, election, and public policy (JB-HDNP). Special interest groups make strong demands on the government (Magleby et al., 2010). These groups may be economic or occupational, ideological, public interest,
During the last week of the Convention the delegates added a few refinements, raised some serious concerns, and discussed what they agreed to over the four months of deliberations. Mason expressed the wish that "the plan had been prefaced by a Bill of Rights." Elbridge Gerry supported Mason's unsuccessful attempt to attach a Bill of Rights. Randolph joined Mason and Gerry and declared that he too wouldn't sign the
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