Pressure Groups Advantages and Disadvantages

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Pressure Groups

Advantages

  • Provides legislators and bureaucrats with useful and up-to-date information (e.g American Medical Association)
  • Aggregates views and channels the wishes of clients and members (e.g. the American Civil Liberties Union)
  • Pluralism, increases participation (e.g. Granny D)
  • Checks and balances (e.g. Tea Party, Freedom Works)
  • Increased opportunities for representation between elections (e.g. National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People)
  • Enhance the rights to freedom of speech and freedom to assemble (e.g.  Million Mom March (Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Control))
  • To veto unsuitable appointments to the Supreme Court (e.g. Harriet Miers was appointed by George Bush Jnr)
  • Advice on court cases (e.g. amicus curiae briefings used by the American Civil Liberties Union)
  • Rise in 'new politics' (e.g. environment - Sierra Club)

Disadvantages

  • Revolving Door Syndrome (e.g. Senator Jim DeMint is leaving the Senate in 2013 to become head of the Washington think tank 'Heritage Foundation')
  • Iron Triangles (e.g. Hali Burton oil company, Bush Jnr, **** Cheney or at the moment the Lockheed weapons manufacturer may try to gain influence following the recent shootings in America)
  • Finance (e.g. Super PACs such as Karl Rove's Cross-Roads)
  • Special interests (e.g. National Rifle Association)
  • Uneven playing field i.e. some groups have more opportunities than others to influence politicians and public opinion
  • Direct Action (e.g. Oklahoma City bomb 1995)
  • Clientelism - the exchange of goods and services for political support
  • Elitism - political power rests in the hands of a small group of people in society

Evaluation

Pressure groups can be very beneficial to society if they are working in the interests of the public as well as its membership and their arguments are successful because of their merits as opposed to the group having undue influence over particular politicians/access points.

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