lu 10

• Pressure groups


  Organized groups of citizens whose goal is to ensure the state follows certain policies
• Pressure groups


  • They are concerned primarily with trying to affect what those in power do
  • They are the main vehicle in most states for representing public opinion in an organized way on the governmental authorities
  • Political parties cannot do this very well because they are involved in trying to acquire governmental power for themselves
• Types of pressure groups

  • Associational
  • Non-associational
  • Institutional
  • Anomic
• Associational pressure groups


  They have a distinctive name, national headquarters and professional employees and use effective procedures for pursuing their interests. They include business, industrial, trade associations, labor unions, professional associations, farmer groups, and the like.
• Non-associational pressure groups


  They do not have a name and lack formal structures, but they are aware of their own distinctiveness from others because they possess similar characteristics and interests. They reflect largely unarticulated social, ethnic, cultural or religious interests.
• Institutional pressure groups


  They exist within the government, are well established, such as government bureaucracies, members of armed forces, members of parliament, etc. They have vested interests and they lobby from the inside, often out of public sight.
• Anomic pressure groups


  They are spontaneously born when people strongly oppose specific policies. Without any pre-planning or organization, when the people want to show their disappointment about a particular government policy that group of people is called anomic interest group. Even street riots can be placed in this category.
• Effective pressure groups

  • Have political culture and participation in politics
  • Have "big" money to finance public campaigns
  • Focus on single, idealistic but important issues affecting the general population
  • Have large size and membership
  • Have access to branches of government
• Strategies of pressure groups

  1. Demonstrations

  2. Violent protest

  3. Approaching lawmakers through lobbying

  4. Approaching the administration

  5. Approaching the judiciary
• Tactics of pressure groups

  • Control of information and expertise
  • Electoral activity
  • Use of economic power
  • Public information campaigns
  • Violence and disruption
  • Litigation