Let’s say that you are driving to the Olympia capital for the first time and you see a group of people standing around chanting and holding signs that say “STOP ABORTIONS.” You stop and ask your friend on what she thinks in going on? You both think that it is a protest against abortion, so you start to walk around wondering what is going on. You are told by one of the group members that he is part of an interest group that fights for pro-life. Your friends start to wonder what an interest group is since pro-life if such a big issue to her, she wants to be a part of it too. According to Roskin, Cord, Medeiros and Jones (2010) an interest group is “an association that pressures government for policies it favors.” But are interest groups useful or do they just cause more problems? In this essay I will be explaining the different types of interest groups that there are, how interest groups are created and who are in interest groups, and how they are beneficial and not beneficial to the people who are supporters.
Interest groups have been around since the 1780s. Most of the topics that were focused on during that time were land ownership, debt and slavery (Interest Groups, 2003). “In 1791 the activities of interest groups were formally recognized in the First Amendment to the Constitution, which protected the people's right "to petition the government for a redress of grievances"(Interest Groups, 2003). “The term interest group covers just about any collection of people trying to influence government” (Roskin, el at, 2010).
There are many types of interest groups and issues that are focused on. Types of interest groups may include farmer, doctors, lawyers, teachers and other business members who have issues they are interested i...
... middle of paper ...
...nize are distributed unevenly (Saurugger, 2010).
Interest groups are extremely important to society. Without people being passionate about issues that affect a lot of people then people would feel like they do not matter. Even though issue groups usually have two sides to them, one interest group vs. an opposing view interest group, people are fighting to what they think is right. Interest groups can bring change or they can bring violence to society depending on the issue at hand. Everyone has a right to their own opinions and interest groups are able to help in an orderly fashion, well most of the time, and be able to speak their mind and possibly change the minds of others in the process. As time goes on I see interest groups becoming more powerful because of the large issues that we face in our everyday living.
Works Cited
Introduction to Political Science
Given the nature of man, factions are inevitable. As long as men hold different opinions, have different amounts of wealth, and own different amount of property, they will continue to fraternize with people who are most similar to them. Both serious and trivial reasons account for the formation of factions but the most important source of faction is the unequal distribution of property. Men of greater ability and talent tend to possess more property than those of lesser ability, and since the first object of government is to protect and encourage ability, it follows that the rights of property owners must be protected. Property is divided unequally, and, in addition, there are many different kinds of property; men have different interests depending upon the kind of property they own. For example, the interests of landowners differ from those who own businesses. Government must not only protect the conflicting interests of property owners, it must, at the same time, successfully regulate the conflicts that result from those who own, and those who do not own, property.
...sions simply because they came of age under a new set of circumstances and issues. Agenda setting is a way of striving to amend the problems of the day. As one can see there are several ways in which the agenda can be set, ranging from external indicators like the media, interest groups, and entrepreneurs, legislative support, and the need for policy in the given area. The more external support a concern has outside of government, the more likely it is to make its way onto the agenda. Problems, like Stuart Enterprise buying Surety bonds, rise quickly to governmental agendas for there happens to be strong base support from interest groups, the media, and legislative officials. Though most of Kingdom’s streams work independently of each other, there are times when they come together through policy windows and make an issue move fast through the entire policy process.
By establishing this relationship, the interest groups are indirectly helping the executive agencies get their funds and the interest groups gains favorable regulations and contracts from these agencies in exchange. (429) Although some critics argue that interest groups can result to Corruption such as the case with Jack Abramoff (438), Demosclerosis that slows down government functions (439), and Inequality by tilting democracy to the wealthy and powerful since they are the ones who can afford lobbying services (440), I believe that Interest groups are good for democracy. We define democracy as a government in which the people rule and make decisions for themselves, and through interest groups the people are given the chance to be better represented and become actively involve in decision-making. Interest groups represent the people specially the minority, arguably expand the range of perspectives that government officials hear, facilitate a two-way communication between the people and the government by conveying citizen views to government officials and providing information about government activities to the people, encourage
An interest group is any organization that seeks to influence public policy. Interest groups are found in many societies, America being no exception. Theodore Lowi, Political Science Professor at Cornell University, explores the effects interest groups, or liberal pluralism, has had and will continue to have on politics in the United States. Lowi authored the work in the late 20th century but his arguments are still plausible today. The work is split into four parts, beginning with the origins and background on liberalism in the Unites States, then moving into issues with liberal governments, and lastly the book deals with other government systems beyond liberalism. Lowi himself describes his work as a textbook inquiry into the character of
In discussing the problems surrounding the issue of factionalism in American society, James Madison concluded in Federalist #10, "The inference to which we are brought is that the causes of cannot be removed and that relief is only to be sought in the means of controlling its effects." (Federalist Papers 1999, 75) In many ways, the nature of American politics has revolved around this question since our country's birth. What is the relationship between parties and government? Should the party serve as an intermediary between the populace and government, and how should a government respond to disparate ideas espoused by the factions inherent to a free society. This paper will discuss the political evolution that has revolved around this question, examining different "regimes" and how they attempted to reconcile the relationship between power and the corresponding role of the people. Beginning with the Federalists themselves, we will trace this evolution until we reach the contemporary period, where we find a political climate described as "interest-group liberalism." Eventually this paper will seek to determine which has been the most beneficial, and which is ultimately preferable.
Interest groups are an interesting part of politics that usually gets overlooked. The term interest group is self-explanatory but the definition can be a bit more politically thorough: An organized group that tries to influence the government to adopt certain interests, policies, or measures also called pressure group. Interest group refers to virtually any voluntary association that seeks to publicly promote and create advantages for its cause. America is a melting-pot of races, religions, languages, cultures, beliefs, and ideas, yet it only
In our contemporary times the founding fathers would not see a problem with faction, because now we have a very strong central government. Factions today can be consider any type of groups that has an objective such as AARP, NAACP, Occupy wall St. and many others. Over the years factions have become larger and more powe...
These pluralistic interest groups are free to operate and lobby in the political arena, fighting against the majority and other competing factions for voice in Congress. With the influence of multiple factions operating throughout the political system, a balance of power is created (Kernell 2000, 429). This is much like the international theory of sovereign states balancing each other’s power to create a political system that focuses on stability, yet is always in a constant flux of power. With this in mind, special interest groups are constantly contending for power by raising money, campaigning, and lobbying in Congress. When a special interest group is threatened by a competing policy, the group will organize efforts to balance, or transcend the power of the competing group.
Likewise, “neo Marxist theories” are irrelevant in today’s society (Robbins, Chatterjee, & Canda, 2012). Interest groups were highlighted by Bell, on the other hand, Riesman referenced veto groups as political power sources in the United states; however, both group are seen as countervailing power (Robbins, Chatterjee, & Canda, 2012). In other words as groups form and organize in order to promote their personal interest, equally, other groups form in opposition to block their actions and efforts for the prevention of having too much control (Robbins, Chatterjee, & Canda, 2012). In this model, policy is not mandated by the elite, however, by the same token, veto groups plays a major role making certain it goes through the legislative process (Robbins, Chatterjee, & Canda,
Over the past thirty years interest groups in America have gained more influence upon government officials and candidates for government office. Interest groups are "organizations of people with similar policy goals who enter the political process to achieve those aims." Interest groups have had a significant impact upon elections for many years and, since the invention of political action committees in 1974, PACs have increasingly donated more money to candidates in attempt to achieve their political goals. Interest groups can range from groups that support a woman's right to abortion to a group of businessmen that want to ensure no more government regulations are imposed on them. Interest groups can have both positive and negative impacts on the American political system.
Citizens of the United States are traditionally given unlimited freedom of speech, press, and assembly. These American privileges allow interest groups to express their perspectives by using the media and other sources that are accessible to the public. In definition, an interest group is a group of individuals who organize to influence the government’s programs and policies. The main goal of these groups is to have the government both listen and respond to their interests (Shin 243). Historically interest groups have and continue to play a crucial role in American politics; especially since it is an effective form for citizens to interfere with government decision making. Two current interest groups in the United States are the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda and the National Council of La Raza. These particular interest groups demonstrate how interest groups directly and indirectly influence public opinion and the political process.
. Factions can be present in many different settings in society. They can be a passion for different opinions on religions, government, or war. Madison claims that "the most common and durable source of factions has been the various and unequal distribution of property. Those who hold and those who are without property have ever been formed distinct interests in society." The modern government includes factions as necessary operations, and the regulation of these interest groups form the foremost assignment of legislation.
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 evident the issues their group supports. Their resources are used in an attempt to make their issue public policy. Interest groups are persistent; they do not give up until they succeed. They lobby congress, take legal action, and attempt to influence election results in order to benefit their cause. ”The AARP monitors local and national legislation of interest to its members.”1 The AARP, an example of a non-PAC interest group, focus their efforts to electioneering and media. They influence the elections through their voter guides, election forums and the large senior voting population. Through television, radio, and periodicals the AARP is able to achieve many of their goals to aid retired persons.
The “advocacy explosion” in the United States in the 20th century has been caused by the extreme increase in the number of interest groups in the United States. The general public views the increase and the groups themselves as a cancer that has come to the body of American politics and is spreading. The explosion in the number of interest groups and interest group members and finances has had an effect on the decline of the American political party and partisanship, the effect on democracy and the public interest, and the bias that has come with interest group competition.