Interest Groups and Policy Making

Interest groups are there to represent the people, usually a portion of the people. This representation stems from either a view point or stance for a plethora of issues. There are hundreds of different interest groups that represent view points from big business. Interest groups

The interest groups often lobby members of the congress for favorable policy. The members of congress often listen as well because they are depended on the interest groups for political advertising and campaigning during the

Chapter 8: A question that has stuck with Wheelan for years, asked by one of his peers was, “If people know so much about public policy, then why is everything so messed up” (175)? The reason for that is because it leads to something far more significant: Even when economists reach consensus on policies that would be to our advantage, they frequently run into political opposition. And when it comes to interest groups in politics, it pays to be small because the tail can wag the dog. This can have a huge impact on the economy. They are usually the most successful because the consequence of requests they receive are spread over a large, disunified group of people. Wheelan states that small problems begin to distort the simplest jobs of a market

Interest groups have a lot of influence over decision that the government makes and has made. These groups, when formed right, are highly organized and have a definite agenda they are trying to push that is important to them. Interest groups will lobby in congress as well as other levels of government to get new laws and regulations passed.

Limiting interest group is like cutting off the blood that flows through America’s vein. Interest groups plays a pivotal role in todays U.S society ranging from but not limited to; helping Congress and the administration to draft legislation and policy initiatives, provide information both to government and the public on a broad range of topical issues, and contribute significantly to political

They have do things like trying to either spend money or not to spend money on whatever their subject is. These interest groups are very important because they take a lot of things into consideration when making decisions such as if the subject is worthy of producing for the cost, the beneficial and negative affects it will have, and if it creates or eliminates jobs. In addition to the interest groups looking out for the common good the government also plays a role in deciding what is best for its people. All of these things put together create an iron triangle. The Iron Triangle is the relationship between the bureaucracy, congressman, and lobbyists. Tom Woods says that interest groups are beneficial to our country and that he sees issues in our government which is also described in the chapter. He continues to say that he doesn’t believe that much is going to change due to the fact that everything is based on

Restrictions shall not merely cover the spending part of the interest groups but shall also identify the beneficiaries receiving the benefits. Nevertheless, it should not prevent the interest groups to play their part as a bridge between the large society and the legislature. It should be in the best interest of the democracy that every society should have the right to be heard and the interest groups shall be the mediator to access the voice of the public to the government.

Issues from the linkage institutions do not always make it to the policymaking system because if it did not get much attention from the people it would not be considered. Because interest groups and political parties sometimes are based off particular issues, they are not always apart of the government’s agenda.

An interest group also known as a special interest group or a lobby is an organized group of individuals, organizations, or businesses who share a goal. The interest group forms an alliance in support of their cause to influence public policy and government officials in the group 's favor. The goal of the group could be focused on small group, such as the Japan Eraser Manufacturer 's Association; or the goal could be focused on a large public group, such as family and friends of public school-aged children in the United States. "The most important lobbying forces in any society are the various entities of government: national, regional, and local government agencies and institutions such as the military" (Thomas).???????????

We start this essay with this famous quote from Berry introducing us to what exactly an interest group is. Indeed in general, public opinion and people unaware of an interest group’s actions might regard interest groups in a negative light. The more famous interest groups can tend to generate a lot of negative publicity. For instance, in the US one of the most famous interest groups is the National Rifle Association, which defends the right to bear weapons. This, of course, has led to controversy especially given the recent high school shootings in

David Truman suggested that interests group are the outcome of two forces, the first being society’s growing complexity. He suggests that as the economy expands and socioeconomic conditions evolve, new interest groups will form and others will lessen. For example, as social media and technology has expanded, the necessity for interest groups representing Americans’ internet privacy and net neutrality has increased. As the tax code has become more complex, and thus, wealthier individuals have utilized tax loopholes, more interest groups advocating for middle class Americans have become more

interest groups are activity involved in the legislature process (on the national level) seeking to

One key debate among the authors is what is actually influenced by lawmaking. On one hand, Hansen (1991) takes the perspective that lobbying influences the relationship between interest groups and lawmakers. Hansen bases his argument on the belief that because legislators want to be reelected and they lack information about the “issue preferences of their constituents, the salience of issues to their constituents, and the effectiveness of various policy options,” they will seek information to reduce this uncertainty. The service that interest groups provide the, is this information. Certain interest groups, Hansen argues have “competitive advantage,” (p. 13) in the sense that they can provide certainty about constituent beliefs in an efficient and effective manner, in order to help lawmakers get reelected. Given that elections re-occur, an additional point Hansen makes is for interest groups to have some kind of influence over lawmakers, the conditions that provide this competitive advantage must be expected to recur. When these conditions are met, interest groups

Interest groups and advocacy groups have an undeniably strong influence in Washington, and while the results of lobbying efforts are not often touted, they sway policy in areas like energy, housing, public finance, education, gun control and many more. These interest groups may represent parochial interests, but there is surely an area of policy that matches most splintered-off factions. While they’ve been portrayed as shadowy forces in lawmaking, “Interest Group Influence on US Policy Change: An Assessment Based on Policy History” by Matt Grossmann attempts to quantify and

According to ushistory.org, there are four types of linkage institutions. Interest groups and political parties are said to be ‘linkage institutions’. In this essay, I will be addressing why it is exactly that interest groups and political parties fall under the category of linkage institutions, the similarities and differences between interest groups and political parties, the differences in the roles that interest groups and political parties play, and which of the two linkage institutions is most important to the democratic processes. These topics are significant because interest groups and political parties keep the people involved with government policy by giving people a chance to influence policy in our country. The main purpose for this essay is to inform the reader of the differences between interest groups and political parties and how the people can get more involved; more than just simply casting a vote in elections.