Pressure Groups Flashcards
1
Q
What are the functions of pressure groups?
A
Influence policy making and decision making, getting their concerns onto the political agenda, don’t run for political office.
2
Q
What is a Social Movement?
A
A movement which brings together individuals who are members of pressure groups.
3
Q
What are single issue groups?
A
A pressure group focusing on a single issue, rather than a large one.
4
Q
What are the examples of pressure groups?
A
Stonewall, Just stop oil, fathers 4 justice, Oxfam, CND, CBI, NSPCC.
5
Q
What are the roles of pressure groups?
A
Participation, Representation, Education.
6
Q
How is participation a role of a pressure group?
A
There must be a way in which the people can be engaged in the political process.
7
Q
How is representation a role of a pressure group?
A
There must be a means for the people to put their views to the government of the day.
8
Q
How is education a role of a pressure group?
A
The political process should be open to all, and there should be an educated and informed citizen group who understand the main issues.
9
Q
What are the main types of pressure groups?
A
Causal, Sectional, Insider, Outsider.
10
Q
What is a causal pressure group?
A
A pressure group that seeks to promote a cause rather than specific interests of members.
11
Q
What is an example of a causal pressure group?
A
Greenpeace.
12
Q
What is a sectional pressure group?
A
A pressure group that represents a specific section of society, such as trade unions or an employers’ association.
13
Q
What is an example of a sectional pressure group?
A
National Farmers’ Union.
14
Q
What is an Insider pressure group?
A
Pressure groups who operate within the political system through contact with MP’s and ministers.
15
Q
What is an example of an insider pressure group?
A
CBI, BMA.
15
Q
What is an outsider pressure group?
A
Groups that have no special links with government, but help to influence decision makers.
16
Q
Why is the term insider group flexible?
A
Groups can move from insider to outsider status.
17
Q
When were trade unions consulted about policy decisions, and why?
A
Under the last labour government, because trade unions reflected the formation and history of the labour party.
18
Q
How have the CBI influenced the work of the government?
A
Support given to banks after the financial crisis was supported by the CBI, and the British Bank federation, measures such as temporary renationalisation.
19
Q
What are the different types of insider groups?
A
Core insiders, Specialist insiders, Peripheral insiders, Prisoner groups.
20
Q
What are core insiders?
A
A longstanding bilateral relationship with policy makers.
21
Q
What are specialist insiders?
A
Insider status, but only within a specific area.
22
Q
What are peripheral insiders?
A
Insider status, but rarely used by government.
23
Q
What are prisoner groups?
A
Impossible to break away from insider status, because of reliance on government funding, or a public body.
24
What are the advantages of insider groups?
Good channels of communication, Well funded, Invited to take part in select committees, Direct influence over legislation.
25
What are the disadvantages of insider groups?
Being too cosy can lead to 'policy entrapment,' Pressure groups aren't allowed to air political ads, pressure groups associated with a certain political party can be left out of power.
26
What are outsider groups?
Groups which are less likely to have close ties with the government, where campaigning can be more militant.
27
What are the recent examples of outsider groups?
Fathers 4 Justice, Animal liberation, UK uncut, Just stop oil.
28
What is an example of a group moving from outsider to insider?
Stonewall - was an outsider group in the 80s and 90s, the head of Ofsted spoke at a Stonewall conference in 2019.
29
What are the different types of outsider groups?
Potential insiders, Outsiders by necessity, Outsiders by choice.
30
What are potential insiders?
Groups which seek to be insiders, but don't have all the experience and connections.
31
What are outsiders by necessity?
Groups forced to operate as outsiders by virtue, due to the cause or nature of their tactics. This can cause a 'we don't deal with terrorists' approach.
32
What are outsiders by choice?
Some groups choose to stay outside government, to retain independence, and ability to critique policies.
33
What are the advantages of outsider groups?
High profile campaigns can make headlines, which raises publicity, protestors can receive fines or imprisonment, showing commitment, freedom to act without being constrained to ties with government.
34
What are the disadvantages of outsider groups?
Headlines don't always mean an increase in public support, people who are prosecuted can be labelled as extremists, ties to government can lead to an influence in policy making, some outsider groups can never achieve insider status.
35
What are the problems with pressure group classification?
Many groups employ insider and outsider status, insider status is a matter of degree rather than fact, change between insider and outsider status change over time, some groups can be sectional and causal.
36
What are the differences between pressure groups and political parties?
Pressure groups have a smaller, more specific membership base, pressure groups are usually unstructured, pressure groups focus on lobbying to influence policy.
37
What are the similarities between pressure groups and political parties?
They are both voluntary organised groups of people, they both carry out representation, facilitate, and contribute to the policy process, they're seen as ways where the public can channel their views.
38
What are the motivations for joining a pressure group?
Purposive benefits, Solidarity benefits, Material benefits, Representation, Beliefs + Values.
39
What are purposive benefits?
Feel good factor, playing a part in bettering society, being a part of a movement and a cause can make the world better.
40
What are solidarity benefits?
A social benefit of pressure groups, who can help with issues you want to achieve.
41
What are material benefits?
Delivering a change in policy, which pressure groups deliver to members.
42
What is the elitist argument of pressure groups?
The elitist argument is that pressure groups hinder democracy, as groups with the most resources wield more influence. Interest groups representing more marginalised members of society are excluded from having a loud and impactful voice.
43
What is the pluralist argument of pressure groups?
The pluralist argument that pluralism allows all groups to enjoy equal opportunity to campaign, this assumes that pressure groups are beneficial for democracy, as they enable all legitimate views to be heard.
44
What are the ways in which pressure groups promote elitism?
Power is unequally distributed in society, groups who have more resources have more power, through the 'ear of government,' pressure groups are undemocratic in structure, and are dominated by their internal leaders.
45
What are the ways in which pressure groups promote pluralism?
Social media has enabled groups with limited financial resources to communicate their messages to larger numbers, governments are ways of being too close to a narrow clique, as this could be seen as hostile to larger bodies of public opinion, many pressure groups are non - hierarchal, most groups of people have a group who represent them.
46
How do pressure groups help democracy?
They provide forums for campaigning, and active political participation, they perform a representative function, they enable representation, they use a wide range of democratic bodies to make their case, they increase public awareness of issues.
47
How do pressure groups hinder democracy?
Large scale participation is not the norm, many pressure group members are passive, some pressure groups are not fully representative, they don't have a democratic mandate, information released by pressure groups is selective, and one sided.
48
What are the reasons for pressure group success?
Achievability of aims, Insider Status, Policies in line with government ideology, In tune with public opinion, Large membership, Financial resources, Celebrity endorsement.
49
How does achievability of aims cause success?
Groups that are too extreme aren't likely to get far.
50
How does insider status cause success?
Close status with those who make decisions enables success to occur at an early stage of decision making.
51
How does ideology linked with government cause success?
Groups which advocate causes which are supported by the government stand a greater chance of positive outcomes.
52
How does Policy in tune with public opinion cause success?
Tapping into the public mood at a given time is an ingredient for success.
53
How does large membership cause success?
Boosts financial resources, enabling the group to claim it represents larger numbers of voters. e.g. National Trust.
54
How do Financial resources cause success?
Wealthy pressure groups are able to run publicity campaigns, increasing the visibility of their campaigns.
55
How do Celebrity endorsements cause success?
Adds publicity and lends a degree of legitimacy to campaigns, e.g. Marcus Rashford - Free school meals.
56
How does media support cause success?
Can help a pressure group's campaign by raising its' public profile among the general public.
57
What are the reasons for pressure group failure?
Too extreme objectives, Lack of resources, Association with violence, links to government, hostile political climate, countervailing forces.
58
How does a lack of resources lead to failure?
Includes groups lacking sufficient resources to present their case professionally, with convincing evidence.
59
How does association with violence and disorder lead to failure?
It's viewed as counter productive.
60
How does links to government lead to failure?
Groups are less likely to enjoy regular contact with policy makers.
61
How does a hostile political climate lead to failure?
Pressure groups' wants don't always fit with the political climate. e.g. Iraq war protests happened while Tony Blair had a strong commons majority.
62
How do Countervailing forces lead to failure?
Strong opposition from other pressure groups means that groups may not always be listened to.
63
What are the different methods pressure groups can use?
Working with the government, working with the legislature, appealing to the public, Direct Action.
64
How does Working with the executive work?
Dealing with ministers directly, offering advice to the secretary of state. Holding conferences and events, which government ministers attend.
65
What are the examples of pressure groups working with government?
NFU, CBI.
66
What does it mean for pressure groups to work with legislature?
Increasing interest shown in the European Parliament, and the supreme court. As parliament in the UK is the body which influences public policy, 75% of pressure groups are in contact with their local MP's.
67
What are the examples of pressure groups working with the legislature?
Tuition Fees, Terrorist Detention.
68
Why do pressure groups appeal to the public?
Background campaigns create a favourable impression for a cause.
69
What is an example of a group appealing to the public?
Fathers 4 Justice.
70
What is Direct Action?
A group trying to implement a policy or prevent its' implementation, through force or protest.
71
What are the examples of direct action?
Anti Fracking groups, Anti GM crops, Poll tax, Iraq war.
72
What are the other influences on government which aren't pressure groups?
Corporations, Lobbyists, Think tanks, New social movements, Media.
73
Why do corporations hold influence over government?
They're in contact with government, as they provide jobs and pay tax.
74
How can corporations influence government?
Companies which are present in multiple countries can threaten to move countries.
75
What is an example of corporations influencing government?
Motor manufacturers lobbied government for a trade deal which retained most elements of the single market after Brexit.
76
What are Lobbyists?
Groups who sell their knowledge of how to influence the political process to paying clients.
77
How are lobbyists different to pressure groups?
They only act on behalf of paying clients, but pressure groups act on behalf of their members.
78
What is an example of Lobbying?
In 2017, Barry Sheerman MP became chair of policy connect, a not for profit organisation.
79
What are think tanks?
They undertake research and provide education to political parties, aiming to influence government policy. They're used to push certain policy positions.
80
What are the different types of think tank?
Single issue think tank, general issue think tanks.
81
How much did Right leaning think tanks receive in 2019, compared to left leaning ones?
£15.5 million, compared to £12.9 million for left leaning groups.
82
What are the examples of think tanks?
Institute of Economic affairs, Resolution Foundation, Policy Exchange, Centre for Social Justice, Chatham House, Fabian Society, progress, Compass.
83
What does the institute of Economic Affairs focus on?
Pushes free market economics - Right wing.
84
What does the Centre for Social Justice focus on?
Independent - Focuses on social policy.
85
What does the Fabian Society focus on?
Left wing - Focuses on a range of policy issues.
86
What are new social movements?
Movements that have emerged since the 1960's in order to influence public policy on issues such as the environment.
87
Why are new social movements different from pressure groups?
They deal with a new range of issues, and are less willing to work with the establishment.
87
What are the examples of new social movements?
Civil Rights Movement, Black Lives Matter, Extinction Rebellion, Occupy.
88
What role do the media play in gaining influence?
A lot of UK media comes out of fleet street, and are aligned with the preference of their owners.
89
What did the Sun do in 1992?
The Sun wrote a headline 'It was the Sun wot won it,' as it backed the Conservative party, who ended up winning the election, despite the belief that Labour would win the election.
90
What has happened to Circulation of newspapers between 1992 and 2019?
It has halved.
91
What do newspapers usually do in elections?
Newspapers usually back winners.
92
What has happened to social media since 1992?
There has been a large rise in the use of social media, leading to a rise in political advertising and fake news.
