Question

What are the various strategies employed by interest groups to accomplish their goals? Discuss each of these strategies along with their effectiveness. Which of these strategies are utilized the most and why? Provide examples of each.

Answer 1

An interest group refers to a group which tries to safeguard and promotes the interests of its members. It is not a political group seeking to capture political power, though it may have a political character of its own. An interest group can be defined as an association of persons with a common economic interest who try to influence government judicial decisions. For example, The Trade Unions, Minority groups, Farmers groups, Women groups etc. These interests groups are also called pressure groups as they pursue their political goals through lobbying. They distribute persuasive literature and launch public campaigns to build grass root support for their political objectives. They also provide legislators with a useful flow of information. The interest groups become very active during the elections time and offer monetary assistance to the candidates. The existing literature demonstrates that the businesses with the most to gain from favourable public policy engage in the most and make campaign contributions or lobby politicians.