What are Pressure Groups?

• A Pressure Group is an organised group that seeks to influence public policy or legislation without seeking political power themselves.
• These groups are also known as interest groups or lobby groups.

Types of Pressure Groups

• Pressure groups can be categorised into two broad types: Sectional and Cause groups.
• Sectional groups represent a specific section of society such as professionals or workers in a certain industry. For example, the American Medical Association.
• Cause groups campaign for a particular issue or cause that is not limited to a specific section of the society, such as environmental protection. For example, Greenpeace.

Role and Influence of Pressure Groups

• Pressure groups play a key role in the US political system by influencing public opinion, policy making, and election campaigns.
• They represent the interests of their members or causes to the government, often by lobbying politicians, organising protests or running awareness campaigns.
• Some large and wealthy groups (like the National Rifle Association) can have significant influence on politicians and policy development through donations and campaigning.

Methods Used by Pressure Groups

• Pressure Groups use a variety of methods to achieve their goals, including direct action, lobbying, legal action, public relations campaigns, and electoral activism.
• Direct action involves strikes, sit-ins, or demonstrations to attract media attention and public sympathy.
• Lobbying involves direct interaction with policy-makers to convince them to support the group's interests.
• Legal action can be used if a group believes a law is unfair or should be interpreted differently, or if they believe their cause or members' rights have been violated.
• Public relations campaigns involve influencing the opinions of the public, lawmakers, or other relevant audiences through media campaigns.
• Electoral activism includes activities such as endorsing candidates, contributing to campaign funds, and encouraging members to vote.

Criticisms of Pressure Groups

• Critics argue that some large and powerful pressure groups can unduly influence policy at the expense of general public interest.
• The ability of wealthy groups to donate large sums of money to political campaigns may also distort the democratic process.
• However, supporters argue that pressure groups ensure that a range of views are heard, and that they enable citizens to participate more actively in democracy.