Interest Groups: Influencers of Government Policies

According to James Madison interest Groups should be allowed to adjust themselves by competing with one another and a good constitution encourages that. An interest groups also known as advocacy group, lobbying group, or pressure group are one important tool which citizens in the United States make their ideas, needs, and views recognized to elected officials. According to Ginsberg, Lowi, Weir, Tolbert, and Spitzer an Interest Group is a group of individuals who organize to influence the government’s program and policies (245). Citizens can usually find an interest group that focuses on their concerns, no matter how precise they may be. There are varies of interest groups; Economic, Labor, Citizen, Ideological, and Public-Sector Groups, not

Supporters’ expression their views from street protest to planned action within the political system. Business, labor, and agriculture were the basic three groups before 1970. Since then, Historically the interest groups in the U.S have increased in number in the latest eras, the public interest groups grew in the 1960’s and 70’s. The interest-groups has become more complex. Agricultural groups have vanished because farms in the U.S have been diminishing. More groups are forming because of the government actions not because they demanding the government to take new responsibilities. Now, Public interest groups organized on new issues, such as the rights of the disabled, prevention of child abuse or domestic violence, and gay/lesbian rights. With Technology the interest groups have increase in the U.S, they help advancing new politics program and

Since the benefits of a group's success are enjoyed by those who agree with a group's position, whether or not they actually join the group. I pick out the citizen group, Sierra and AARP from the Labor Group because the citizen groups are the most visible groups, yet no one really notice them. The Labor Groups, which everyone should know about, is the group with the least lobbies. Most of us our not political involve or educated on our political system. I have people that I know that claim to join a Group, but in reality are free riders. A free rider is a person who enjoys the benefits of an action or a service without any effort on their part. Mancur Olson advanced the most reasonable explanation for this phenomenon. Of course, that if no one contributes, the group won't exist. In large groups the borderline contribution of new members are small. If there’s a lot of supporters join, many others will not join the group or make a full pledge; they‘ll convert "free riders", enjoying the benefits while others actively participate and