Pressure Groups
Short Questions
What is a pressure group?
- A pressure group is an organisation which seeks to influence public policy in relation to a particular issue.
- Pressure groups tend to have a narrow issue focus and are bound together by shared interests or a common cause.
- An example would be the CBI which represents 150,000 business and helps to influence government policy.
What are the functions of pressure groups?
- Representation
- Political participation
- Education
- Policy formulation
- Policy implementation.
Outline 2 differences between a political party and a pressure group
- A political party seeks to win power at various levels via elections like Labour, whereas pressure groups seek to influence those in power e.g. Make Poverty History.
- Generally pressure groups focus on a single or narrow range of issues e.g. Countryside Alliance wanted to legalise hunting
- Whereas political parties have to fight elections on a whole range of issues, released in the form of their party manifestos.
Outline, with examples, 2 types of pressure groups
- Promotional: a group that promotes causes, generally with moral concerns “for” people
- Open to anyone and benefits all of society, such as Amnesty International which seeks to protect human rights everywhere, thus helping everyone.
- Sectional: a group that protects causes, generally with material concerns and a group “of” people
- Benefits only its members and open only to those who meet criteria, e.g. CBI open to businesses, which protects only business interests.
Outline 2 differences between insider and outsider pressure groups.