Pressure groups

• When analysing markets, a range of assumptions are made about the rationality of economic agents involved in the transactions
• The Wealth of Nations was written

  1776
• Rational

  (in classical economic theory) economic agents are able to consider the outcome of their choices and recognise the net benefits of each one
• Rational agents will select the choice which presents the highest benefits
• Consumers act rationally by

  Maximising their utility
• Producers act rationally by

  Selling goods/services in a way that maximises their profits
• Workers act rationally by

  Balancing welfare at work with consideration of both pay and benefits
• Governments act rationally by

  Placing the interests of the people they serve first in order to maximise their welfare
• Groups assumed to act rationally

  • Consumers
  • Producers
  • Workers
  • Governments
• Rationality in classical economic theory is a flawed assumption as people usually don't act rationally
• A firm increases advertising

  Demand curve shifts right
• Demand curve shifting right

  Increases the equilibrium price and quantity
• Marginal utility

  The additional utility (satisfaction) gained from the consumption of an additional product
• If you add up marginal utility for each unit you get total utility
• hi my name's Ollie and in this positive explained video I'm going to go through everything you need to know about pressure groups think tanks lobbyists and corporations for a level politics so that's not just all the knowledge you need to know with some key examples but also key points of analysis and the key questions you can get asked in the exam so you can properly revise um for your final exam
• I'm going to start by looking at the key parts of the specification this lesson covers as well as some potential key questions you could get asked from now
• I'm going to look at the introduction to pressure groups and the key different types so that's causal sectional and social movements as well as Insider groups versus outside of groups and then looking at the different methods that those different groups use
• From that we're going to look at a number of really key case studies that you can use for pressure groups including some really recent ones such as the recent rail strikes um by the rmt union um and a couple of years ago Marcus rashford's campaign for free School meals which was very successful
• We're then going to look at the key reasons for pressure group success which is the key thing they could come up in a potential essay start looking at resources strategy and Leadership public support and government attitudes as key reasons for pressure group success
• Finally we're going to look at the other influences on government and Parliament so that's think tanks lobbyists and corporations before finally circling back to the potential questions and kind of wrapping up how you could potentially structure those questions um if you ask them in the exam
• Pressure groups are groups that seek to influence politics in order to achieve particular goals
• Pressure groups don't seek political office which means like kind of differentiates them from parties but seek to change policy through influencing public opinion Parliament and the government
• Pressure groups are usually focused on one particular area of policy such as human rights or um kind of if you're a trade Union in a particular sector of the economy
• Pressure groups are crucial to a pluralist democracy in which many different groups and sections of the population hold power and can influence politics
• People join pressure groups because they feel strongly about a particular political cause and want to get involved in causing change or because they have something to gain from joining the pressure group such as the legal representation and job protection that comes from Union
• Types of pressure groups

  • Causal
  • Sectional
  • Social movements
• Types of pressure groups

  • Insider groups
  • Outsider groups
• Causal and proportional groups

  Focused on achieving a particular goal or drawing attention to a particular issue with membership usually open to anyone who sympathizes with the cause
• Sectional interest groups

  Promote the interest of a particular group in society, with membership often limited to people with certain qualifications or expertise
• Social movements

  Loosely structured groups that seek to achieve a single objective, often politically radical and facilitated by social media
• Insider groups

  Rely on close contacts with ministers and civil servants to achieve their aims, with objectives generally in line with the views of government
• Outsider groups

  Pressure groups that are not consulted by the government, with objectives often quite far from the political mainstream and radical
• Groups can switch between Insider and Outsider status according to changing political circumstances and the political leanings of the party in power
• Methods of Insider groups

  • Lobbying the government
  • Negotiating quietly behind the scenes
  • Giving specialized advice or drafting legislation
  • Lobbying MPs
• Methods of Outsider groups

  • Social media campaigns and petitions
  • Staging demonstrations and protests
  • Publicity stunts
  • Legal challenges
  • Going on strike
• Pressure groups can use both Insider and Outsider methods depending on the nature of the issue and the degree to which the government is willing to respond
• The case studies covered include human rights pressure groups, the recent rail strikes by the RMT union, and Marcus Rashford's campaign for free school meals
• The key reasons for pressure group success that will be discussed are resources, strategy and leadership, public support, and government attitudes
• The video will also cover the influence of think tanks, lobbyists, and corporations on government and Parliament
• Insider group

  A pressure group that has close contacts with the government and can directly influence policy