INTEREST GROUPS

Influencing the Government

DISCUSSION QUESTION/S

• Are interest groups necessary for political life? Do we need them to properly interact with our elected officials or do they provide more harm than good?
• If interest groups were harmful, how do you propose we properly communicate our wants and needs with the Federal Government?

INTEREST GROUPS

• Private organizations or voluntary associations that seek to influence public policy as a way to protect or advocate for their interests. (They are more organized than social movements and may operate by being a non-profit group or a business)
  • Fundamental Goal: TO INFLUENCE PUBLIC POLICY. They actively want to change the behaviour of public officials or what the government does by specifically looking at a law-by-law or bill-by-bill method because interest groups have interests. (Their goal is to have a particular elected official act in a particularly favourable way, either through voting in a bill, etc.)
  • They are fundamentally not part of government, although they may work closely with the government
  • They are not political parties
• The Evils of Faction (derogatory term which is sometimes used to describe or call interest groups)
  • Interest groups can be understood as factions
    • Self-interested, not involved in the public good but in their own good and the good they are able to obtain

THE PLURALIST ARGUMENT

• Perhaps, interest groups do not hurt democracy
• Argument:
  • Free elections do not consistently and effectively communicate wants and needs (Elections are great at doing a single thing – getting people elected; but it is not good in developing a day to day, ordinary interaction with members of the government)
  • Interest Groups are easy to create (No need for too much money or paperwork)
  • Because of Federalism and the separation of powers, institutions are open to everyone (Everyone at the government has an influence interest groups can go to)
  • Therefore, all legitimate interests can have their say. (There is no problem with interest groups)
    • The system is highly democratic (allows participants of the democracy to have a real voice on what’s going on)
  • They see interest groups as a democratic necessity.

SELECTIVE BENEFITS OF INTEREST GROUP MEMBERSHIP