8. Have pressure groups become more important in recent decades Flashcards
Why has the growth of the state impacted pressure groups?
Expansion of the state:
- After ww2, both the Labour and Conservative parties agreed that the state should provide welfare and play a role in managing the economy
- As the state played a bigger role in people’s lives, more people had an interest in government policy
how has growing complexity impacted pressure groups
Growing complexity:
- think of the complicated issues that MPs have to vote on, and ministers have to draft regulations on, today
- As science and technology continue to develop at an incredible pace, the need for pressure group expertise grows with it
difference between industrial society and post industrial society
Industrial society (production of goods) —> post-industrial society (provision of services)
difference between materialist society and post-materialist society
Materialist society (focus on meeting basic material needs (food, shelter, security) —> post-materialist society (economically affluent – focus on new non-material values)
How has the decline in support for political parties impacted pressure groups?
If parties become less attractive, this creates opportunities for pressure groups
what do political parties and pressure groups compete for
In many ways political parties and pressure groups are in competition for…
- Resources
- Members
- Influence
what is class alignment
Class alignment (a clear and predictable link between class and party) —> class dealignment (class is no longer a strong indicator of party support)
what is partisan alignment
Partisan alignment (voters strongly identify with a party and loyally support them at elections) —> partisan dealignment (voters are less loyal, changing their support between elections)
how have improvements in education shaped pressure groups
Improvements in education:
- Improvements in education, and the increasing ease of access to news and information, mean that people are much better informed
- Fewer people are willing to leave decisions to elected ‘delegates’
how has the growth of the internet and e-democracy shaped pressure groups
Growth of the internet and e-democracy:
- Easier for groups to form and organise collective action e.g. 38 degrees
- New opportunities for more formal political participation e.g. E-petitions
how has the growth of TV/ online news media shaped pressure groups
Growth of TV/ online news media:
- Gives pressure of groups greater attention – more opportunities to make their case heard by voters
- Media scrutiny helps the public to learn more about current political issues, making them more likely to take action
what is Corporatism
Corporatism – where government and interest group elites work together and make important decisions without the voters
what is Tripartism
Tripartism - a form of corporatism, with three principal actors – the government business leaders and the trade unions
what has happened to trade union membership levels
declined
what caused the decline of trade union membership levels
- Changes to the UK economy – move from unionised manufacturing and heavy industry to service-based economy – more self-employed
- New industries lack the tradition of unionisation – hard to get started
- Trade Union legislation – e.g. banning closed shops
- Globalisation – increased international competition drives down wages
how many people were in trade unions in the 1970s
over 13 million people
how many people were in trade unions in 2015
approx. 6.4 million
what is the 2014 ‘Gagging law’?
- Cut the amount that groups can spend influencing elections, (from September to May) by around 60%
- Introduced ‘constituency spending limits’, restricting the amount that groups can spend on campaigns focussing on a particular constituency to £9,750
- Broadens the activities that are regulated by spending limits to include market research, public meetings, press events and transport costs
