Pressure groups Flashcards
what is the purpose of pressure groups?
Pressure groups aim to influence policies and political decisions or change public attitudes without looking to gain political office
What is an insider pressure group?
An insider pressure group is one that has regular and direct contact with decision makers. They are often consulted on specific political issues by government departments, Mps, political parties and committees.
Their preferred method of influence include working closely with those in the political system.
Examples include:
- NICE ( National Institute for Healthcare and Excellence)
- The TaxPayers’ Alliance
What is an outsider pressure group?
Outsider pressure groups don’t have regular and direct contact with decision makers and are not consulted by governments. They don’t operate through influencing those with the political system but instead they aim to gain support of public opinion. They undertake methods of influencing through working ‘outside’ of the political system.
Examples include:
- Fathers4Justice
- Plane Stupid
What is a sectional pressure group?
A sectional pressure group represents a specific section of society, they do not campaign for broader issues and are concerned with protecting the interests of their members.
Examples include:
- House Builders Federation
British Medical Association
What is a promotional group ?
Promotional groups have a single issue that they are concerned with promoting. hey promote ideas that don’t directly benefit their members but which they believe will benefit the public in general. They are considered to be more inclusive because they aim to create a large membership base.
Examples include:
- Greenpeace
Mediawatch-UK
what are the functions of Pressure groups?
political education
political participation
policy influencing
political debate
government scrutiny
representation
