interest groups, social movments and medi communications

Question 1

Define an interest group

Answer 1

an organization that pursues the common interests of a specific group of people

Question 2

What is the main objective of most interest groups?

Answer 2

To influence the development and implementation of public government policies

Question 3

What were the three groups that establised the first interest groups

Answer 3

• agriculture
• business
• labour movements

Question 4

What is a self interest group?

Answer 4

• An interest group that is primarily concerned with the interests of the group and its members
• usually concerned with obtaining benefits that are almost exclusively for its members

Question 5

What kind of issues would a self interest group be concerned with?

Answer 5

economic interests which usually includes a desire for higher wages or profits for their members

Question 6

What is a public interest group?

Answer 6

• An interest group that seeks to acheive goals that the group views as being for the good of the entire community

Question 7

What is an example of a public interest group?

Answer 7

Amnesty International which has been known to mobilize the public in an attempt to oppose violation of human rights worldwide

Question 8

What is the difference between public and self interest groups?

Answer 8

• public interest groups usually argue that the achievement of their goals will benefit the whole community rather than specific members
• however many supposed public interest groups have been accused of acting primarily for the leader and members of the group

Question 9

What is an issue-oriented interest group

Answer 9

• An interest group that is primarily concerned with a particular issue or grievance
• usually is created spontaneously

Question 10

What is the nature of issue-oriented interest groups?

Answer 10

• usually exist only temporarily in that they do not seek to create a formal organization
• sometimes once the issue is resolved or public interest is reduced, the group fades out of existence

Question 11

What is an institutionalized interest group?

Answer 11

• An interest group that has developed a formal organization
• advocates for positions on a variety of issues and attempts to develop close relationships with government officials

Question 12

What are some features of an institutionalized interest group?

Answer 12

• established membership
• paid professional staff
• permanent offices

Question 13

What are some reasons for people to join an interest group?

Answer 13

• it is hard to have much influence as only one person, so joining a group may help avoid that problem

Question 14

Why is the free rider problem an issue for interest groups?

Answer 14

• people and the public may enjoy the benefits of an interest group’s hard work and success without contributing at all

Question 15

How can interest groups avoid the free rider problem?

Answer 15

• providing incentives for people to join their cause
• selective incentives or particular benefits to members of the group
• eg. cheaper merchandise, reduced insurance rates, discounts on car rentals and hotel accomadations

Question 16

What does the democratic system have to do with interest groups?

Answer 16

• Many interest groups, especially institutionalized ones, are democratic in structure
• for example, they have regular methods for electing their leaders and board of directors

Question 17

What are the problems with interest groups having leaders or directors?

Answer 17

• there is often a weak connection between members of a group and those acting on their behalf
• the law of oligarchy (all organizations eventually become dominated by a small group of leaders) can be applied to interest groups

Question 18

Why would government support interest groups?

Answer 18

• many governments provide funding and support for interest groups, sometimes one that represents smaller, unrepresented segments of society
• this may be done to offset the amount of influence more privileged interest groups can exert on government
• also can provide assistance to particular departments of government by aiding their competition with other departments to have more funds

Question 19

What is a problem with government support of interest groups?

Answer 19

• interest groups that receive support from government can tend to become more biased toward government and becomes its tame supporters

Question 20

What are inside strategies?

Answer 20

• strategies employed by the leaders of interest groups that involve developing close contacts with government and public service officials to have higher influence over policy decisions
• an example would be lobbying

Question 21

What are outside strategies?

Answer 21

• strategies in which the leaders of interest groups appeal to the public for support and mobilize members to put pressure on those making public policy decisions
• can be done through advertising, petitions, social media and email or demonstrations

Question 22

What are the advantages of inside strategies?

Answer 22

• they directly influence those responsible for developing public policies

Question 23

What is a potential problem with inside strategies?

Answer 23

can lead to the interest group becoming more influenced by the concerns of government

Question 24

What are the advantages of outside strategies?

Answer 24

can be successful if they mobilize enough public support, which effectively pressures politicians who are concerned with being re-elected

Question 25

What are potential problems for outside strategies?

Answer 25

government may not give into pressure, making it difficult for this strategy to gain influence

Question 26

what is Neo-corporatism?

Answer 26

A political system in which the state actively collaborates with the major interests of business and labour organizations to seek a consensus concerning the country’s economic policies

Question 27

What is lobbying?

Answer 27

an effort to persuade those involved with legislation and public policy to implement policies or decisions favoured by an individual, business, or group

Question 28

What are some of the criticisms of lobbying?

Answer 28

lobbying may allow particular deals being worked out in secret to provide benefits to specific individuals or groups at the public’s expense

Question 29

How are interest groups involved in policy making?

Answer 29

• interest groups typically provide needed information to policymakers in an attempt to find solutions to their problems
• the development of public policies typically includes discussions among government officials and various interest groups

Question 30

Why is public support important to interest groups?

Answer 30

• for certain interest groups, such as issue-oriented ones, public support may be their only way of having any influence
• individual corporations and businesses need public support to maintain a good image

Question 31

How can legal action benefit interest groups?

Answer 31

• Many interest groups have had success in courts in pressuring the government to take certain action and challenging certain laws and policies
• however this can be costly

Question 32

What are some things that would allow an interest group more influence?

Answer 32

• their support of the status quo
• no other powerful interest groups to compete with in the policy area
• higher levels of funding, expertise, and connection with government

Question 33

Define social movment

Answer 33

a network of groups and individuals that seek major social and political changes by acting outside established political institutions

Question 34

What is one of the first instances of social movements?

Answer 34

• during the beginning of the industrial age in Europe, there was a movement that campaigned for the abolition of slavery in Britain

Question 35

What are some changes that many social movements are prone to?

Answer 35

• some movements become more conventional in that they become less confrontative and less spontaneous
• many view this as the “selling out” of a movement and its ideals, but it also could increase the group’s chances of success

Question 36

What are the benefits of more radical methods within a movement?

Answer 36

prevents institutionalized groups from making excessive compromises of the movement’s values

Question 37

What are the common activities of social movements?

Answer 37

• protests
• establishment of public interest groups
• establish political parties such as labour parties, however this may lead to a compromise of the movement’s values

Question 38

Why is corporate ownership of media a problem?

Answer 38

• causes the majority of media outlets to be concentrated in a few corporations, which reduces media diversity
• results in mass media being biased towards capitalist values

Question 39

How does government regulate broadcast media?

Answer 39

• ensures the media acts in the public’s interests
• broadcasting media is required to provide balanced coverage of politics, especially during election campaigns

Question 40

How is the amount of broadcasting time for certain parties in Canada determined?

Answer 40

Based on the parties’ percentage of seats, votes and candidates in the prior election

Question 41

What is objectivity of media in relation to politics?

Answer 41

• provide truth and facts, not opinions
• however, this can be difficult because attempts to appear objective can result in simply being biased towards the dominant political forces
• reporting involves selectivity, making true objectiveness near impossible

Question 42

What is framing?

Answer 42

selecting and highlighting certain points of events and issues, and making connections between them to promote a particular interpretation

Question 43

How is media like a “watchdog”

Answer 43

• by bringing public awareness to the failures of the government, the media can hold the government accountable and keep it in check
• can also assist the public in challenging government action

Question 44

What is news management?

Answer 44

• the controlling and shaping of the presentation of news in order to affect the public’s evaluation of news stories
• can involve preventing journalists from fact checking or only releasing stories that reflect poorly on government whilst a more sensational issue is in the public eye

Question 45

What is infotainment?

Answer 45

the merging of information and entertainment in news and public affairs programming of the mass media

Question 46

what are the benefits of online media?

Answer 46

• to a certain extent, online media has democratized political communication as it involves large groups of people sharing their views with others on an unregulated platform
• also allows for a broader perspective of politics
• can allow easier and quicker mobilization of activists with the same common interest

Question 47

What are the problems with online media?

Answer 47

• can reinforce biases when people view only media that shares their perspective
• makes it easier for foreign countries to influence elections in other countries
• has been involved in spreading terrorism
• may not enhance political participation as it is meant for entertainment puropses
• has not necessarily contributed to higher levels of political knowledge

Question 48

what is fake news?

Answer 48

• false stories that can spread quickly across the internet
• has become a political weapon