5.6  Interest Groups  Influencing Policy  Making

Political parties, interest groups, and social movements provide opportunities for participation and influence how people relate to government and policy-makers. 

Explain the benefits and potential problems of interest-group influence on elections and policymaking.

 Interest groups may represent very specific or more general interests. They can educate voters and officeholders, conduct lobbying, draft legislation, and mobilize the membership to apply pressure on and work with legislators and government agencies. 

In addition to working within party coalitions, interest groups exert influence through long-standing relationships with bureaucratic agencies, congressional committees, and other interest groups; such relationships are described as “iron triangles” and “issue networks,” and they help interest groups exert influence across political party coalitions.

 Explain how variation in types and resources of interest groups affects their ability to influence elections and policy making.

 Interest group influence may be impacted by: 

• Inequality of political and economic resources 

• Unequal access to decision-makers

• “Free rider” problem