interest groups

functions of interest groups

• Interest groups give citizens the chance to participate in political decision making and influence specific policy areas, including gun control and environmental policy

• Interest groups educate the public and raise awareness of policy issues and possible solutions

• Interest groups represent the interests of specific groups in society

• Interest groups aim to influence political parties’ agendas so that they prioritise the group’s interests in party policy

• Pressure groups monitor and scrutinise government policies

tactics of interest groups

• Interest groups lobby by providing information to policymakers and influencing how politicians in Congress vote on specific issues

• Interest groups organise grassroots activities to have their interests heard, including marches, social media campaigns and phone blitz campaigns targeting members of Congress

• Interest groups support or oppose candidates for president and Congress in elections based on their policy positions

  • Interest groups fund politicians through PACs and Super PACs to make financial donations to campaigns

  • EX: The National Rifle Association (NRA) supported Trump’s presidential campaign because he opposed gun control

political significance of interest groups

• Pressure groups have influenced major policy areas, including gun control and abortion

  • The NRA has been key in the national debate on gun control and has lobbied members of Congress to oppose bans on assault weapons

  • NARAL supports abortion rights and held rallies to oppose the appointment of Brett Kavanaugh, whom they believed would restrict abortion rights

reasons for the political significance of interest groups

• Political parties are relatively weak and decentralised organisations in the US, meaning that citizens often look to interest groups as a way to become politically involved

• The US is a diverse society in which citizens have many different interests which interest groups can represent

• There are many opportunities for pressure groups to influence policy, with the legislature, executive and judiciary all targeted due tot heir decision-making powers

interest group influence on the executive

• Pressure groups aim to have a strong relationship with the executive, including government departments and agencies

• Pressure groups seek to influence the government’s regulatory work which impacts on the group’s interests, including regulations over business transport and the environment

interest group influence on the legislature

• Pressure groups aim to influence how members of Congress vote on issues - they can lobby politicians and committees in Congress directly contacting them to influence ongoing legislation

  • Ex: the NRA lobbied Congress politicians over the 1993 Brady Bill and to vote against laws requiring more background checks on gun buyers

• Pressure groups look to influence the way Congress votes by publicising politician’s voting records on issues

  • EX: the NRA publishes how members of the House and Senate have voted on gun reform legislation, and chooses to endorse those who regularly oppose stricter gun laws

interest groups influence on the judiciary

• Pressure groups actively support or oppose nominations to the SC’s depending on the judge’s stance on key issues

• Pressure groups aim to influence the SC by offering amicus curiae briefings to the court where they present their views on certain issues

  • EX: the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) brought a case themselves to court in the 2005 McCreary v ACLU case

interest groups ARE democratic

• Interest groups provide important information to lawmakers, including the government and Congress, to assist with formulating public policy

• Interest groups offer the chance for political participation in American politics in between elections

• Interest groups represent the views of minority groups in American society who are not as well represented by political parties

  • EX: the American Association of Retired Persons represents the interests of people aged over 50

interest groups AREN’T democratic

• Interest groups undermine democracy by supporting the interests of a small group over the national interest

• There are inequalities of power in policy debates on issues such as gun control and healthcare, with some pressure groups more powerful than others

  • EX: the NRA is a more powerful pressure group than Handgun Control Inc. which advocates stricter gun control

• Interest groups are often elitist and unaccountable

• Interest groups can use direct action as a protest method, which can sometimes be violent

  • EX: BLM protests in St Louis became violent after a court acquitted a police officer after shooting a Black citizen