Special Interests - The Role of Interest Groups - Essay Example

?Running Head: SPECIAL INTERESTS ID Lecturer Define the interest group, with examples. To begin with, interest groups exist as non-profit organizations which are usually inaugurated voluntarily by people. They exist in an organizational form whereby their members have a common mission to serve a purpose. The need is to look after a cause and fulfill it. The objective of these interest groups is to have a control basis with the help of influence as per the public policy realms. One thing is for certainty within these interest groups – the members do not wish to have any political control which speaks much about these interest groups in essence. These interest groups lobby around with the help of their members who are a part of the several legislative organizations (Jaatinen, 1998). Their role is proactively driven towards the political parties for whom they wish to serve in the long run. These interest groups do their utmost to elect politicians who have a good enough idea of their related cause and have the right kind of empathy for their settings. These interest groups recruit individuals who can have hidden and on other occasions, propaganda movements which might be quite extrovert in nature. One needs to know that many interest groups exist within any society in this day and age. These include the different economic groups which have within them the various chambers of commerce, the trade unions and a few factions that belong to the religious groups. Also the professional interest groups comprise within them the doctors, lawyers, business people, architects and skilled workers. The public interest groups focus more towards the environment and look after the issues which plague the people more than anything else, on a one to one level. The aim here is to provide people with benefits as much as possible. Then there are the special interest groups which are part of the subgroups that are formed within larger groups and where the main focus is upon a narrow interest area. The need is to know that these interest groups are very different from the pressure groups. Since these interest groups have a proper definition of their intentions and mission, their supporters take a stance for these interest groups at every level and on all forums. The ones who support it are of the view that these interest groups depict what others should feel about their own selves and the community that they are a vital part of. Many individuals believe that these interest groups have a hidden agenda behind their institution which may not be right. Quite a few eyebrows are raised when one questions their existence and formation. The need is to discern some interest groups that have made their mark throughout the world over the years. These include the NEA which has been a proactive supporter of educational professionals and has done immense work at raising the standards of these people over the years. Then there is the example of NAACP which guarantees that social, political, educational and economic equality of rights of the people are there and also to remove hatred and discrimination which crops up in the name of race (Blom, 2006). The role of these interest groups is important to understand and more so in the times much like today. This is because they pinpoint the critical issues which make their mark within a society, for good or for bad. They shift public opinions in a positive way which is an essential aspect of their formation in the first place. If people connect with these interest groups well, then their roles are magnified and purposes are served well. If this does not happen, then there are immensely significant concerns which must be taken care of, and the sooner it happens the better it will be for people within any society of the world where these interest groups exist and make their essential mark within the lives of the people. 2. Discuss the relationship between interest groups and political parties. The linkage that has come about between the interest groups and political parties remains a source of discussion in this day and age. The reason for this lies in the fact that these interest groups work along with the political parties but stay one step behind when it comes to the working domains of the political parties. The political process is a manifestation of the politicians alone who through their skills create avenues for the political process to succeed. The interest groups can just be deemed as the helping hand under such scenarios but must not go ahead and complete the work of the politicians (Phelan, 2008). These politicians know it best when to strike the political process and when to hold back, as and when required. The interest groups are more reliant on making their voice get heard within the corridors of power so that a righteous movement or action is set about. It is a fact that the political parties are duty bound to form their own political decisions and undertakings, the role of the interest groups is just of a facilitative one. These interest groups highlight the grey areas to the politicians and ask of the latter to come ahead and do their bit. Hence their tasks become easier when they know what the society thinks of some important issues which have long been plaguing it on one count or the other. However, there are quite a few individuals every now and then who would stand up and critically analyze this linkage (between interest groups and political parties). This usually happens when the people are unaware of the secret discussions going on between the interest groups and the politicians and when decisions are reached upon with the assistance of one another. The secretive nature is a problem for many and will remain so in the times to come (Figueiredo, 2009). On the flip side, there are also the open propaganda campaigns which ask of the political parties to act when the water has passed over the head or when there is still some time left in bringing the sanity basis. A few of the politicians are in touch with these interest groups and hence the decisions are made amongst them, which is slightly unfair on the part of the other politicians who are kept in the dark. But then again, it should be a level playing field for everyone as the societal manifestations will be apparent sooner rather than later. There is a dire need to comprehend where mistakes can be avoided and how best to give one’s best within the relevant scheme of things. Even though the interest groups have no direct role within the political process, yet it is somehow manifested in an adequate way if and only if the interest group members know how to maneuver things properly. If they go haywire, there would not be facilitation available at any angle. Also one must remember that the politicians have a huge responsibility to their own people. They have to be accountable and answerable to them and hence all their actions, decisions and undertakings should be in line with their requirements and wishes. This suggests their straightforward and honest linkages which have been established with the passage of time, and which remain much significant within the relevant settings. The interest groups must realize these issues and then go on and build linkages with these political parties. They need to know that the political process should continue even though there is emphasis on the politicians directly getting in touch with their own people. The priority will always be the wellness plans for their own people, irrespective of the fact whether or not these plans have been visualized by the interest groups. 3. Explain how interest groups try to influence the President and Congress as these two branches work together to make policy. The interest groups have a huge role at influencing the President and the Congress as far as American government regimes are concerned. This happens when policy changes are required as the interest groups work hand in hand with the Congress to have their say embedded within the Congress’ activities and draft proposals. They also make sure that the Congress has a fair amount of policy work beforehand so that the President approves it easily. The formulation of the policy does not take place overnight as it needs much thought and consideration to come about. These policies are deemed as most significant towards the domains of the society. Some of these interest groups give out advertisements within newspapers when they believe they are faced with problems which need governmental input. When the society has problems which can only be resolved by these interest groups, then the interest groups have to get the job done and this can only take place when the Congress and the President are in line with what is required at hand. They discuss anomalies and issues which hamper the smooth functioning of the society and finding the solutions is the need of the hour (Gedde, 1999). With this, lobbying is done so that the Congress understands where these interest groups are coming in from and how the problems need to be discussed and defined in essence. Lobbying helps the cause of the interest groups more than anything else because what it does is to create a sense of optimism all around (Schepers, 2010). It also facilitates the linkage between the Congress and the President towards enacting measures which will satisfy not only the interest groups but also the societal members, who are the individuals that have to face problems and concerns on a day to day basis. It should be noted here that when the President of the United States asks the Congress to move ahead with a public policy draft, he does so with the approval of the American population. This is an important step which underlines the need for having the interest groups in the first place. He discerns the exact basis of the policy and whether or not it will help the public at large (Lingle, 1991). If it does, the President moves ahead with it in a positive fashion, and try to promote it across the board. Indeed this is the best possible way for the civilized societies to exist in essence and there would not be any two opinions within this regard. In the end, it would be fair to state that these interest groups are doing their job well because they know that Congress will sooner or later take notice and try to solve the problems that the society faces at any given time. References Blom, B. (2006). Cause Lawyering and Social Movements: Can Solo and Small Firm Practitioners Anchor Social Movements? Studies in Law, Politics and Society 39 Figueiredo, J. (2009). Integrated Political Strategy. Advances in Strategic Management 26 Gedde, D. (1999). The Role of Interest Groups in Products Liability Law. Managerial Finance 25(3/4) Jaatinen, M. (1998). Lobbying for Conflict Accommodation – A Contingency Model. Corporate Communications: An International Journal 3(1) Lingle, C. (1991). Interest Groups and Cultural Protectionism: Apartheid and Public Arts Policies. International Journal of Social Economics 18(4) Phelan, W. (2008). Ignored No Longer: Contributions of the Law of Agency to Principal-Agency Theory and Congressional Leadership. Studies in Law, Politics and Society 45 Schepers, S. (2010). Business-Government Relations: Beyond Lobbying. Corporate Governance 10(4) Read More