10 Special Interests Flashcards
interest group
a group of ppl who come together with a specific political goal in mind; can be institutionalized or issue-specific; can be public or self-interested
the biggest difference between parties and interest groups
the endgoal: parties want to gain control of the gov’t, while interest groups aim to promote a certain interest
2 types of goals for interest groups
- public interest - purports to promote the public good rather than itself (Ex. environmental interest groups)
- self-interest - interested in promoting the goal and members of that organization (ex. labour unions)
categories of interest groups according to longevity
- issue-specific - some are centred on time-sensitive issues, so once they disappear, the group most likely does too (i.e., exist only as long as the issue does)
- institutionalized - groups that aren’t tied to a temporal issue and are rather tied to timeless issues
social movement
mobilization of a group of ppl to promote a certain goal with no organization component, whereas interest groups have organization; tend to be more successful if tied to institutions and interest groups
think tanks
a type of interest group, non-political but are often ideological, embedded in political/media system in the US, research and community involvement
how think tanks influence policy
- write policy papers and reports on policy issues, and advisors
- directly connecting with the public (budget cuts in newspapers make them turn to think tanks for content)
- cross-pollination (politicians often work in think tanks or come from them)
conceptualizing approaches to think tanks
- political elites (think tanks are composed of elites and have a strong influence on policy)
- pluralist tradition (think tanks are just an actor attempting to influence policy)
- statist approach (the executive is very powerful and think tanks have limited influence)
