Pressure Groups Essay

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Pressure groups refer to organizations of people that seek to influence the government public policy or protect a particular cause or interest. They are a key part of modern democracy and have strongly held views, which aim to be an influential vehicle of change in society. Groups may promote a specific issue and raise it up to the political agenda or have more general ideological objectives in mind when they campaign. Pressure groups can be subdivided into single cause, multi-cause, protective and promotional. Single cause group’s focus on a particular issue, for e.g. London Cycling Campaign seeks to promote safe cycle routes and the use of cycles in the London area. Multi-cause groups focus their attention on a broader range of issues which are usually generalized under a heading such as the ‘the environment’, for e.g. Friends of the Earth aim to influence decision making on various environmental issues. Watts (2007: 30) stated that protective groups represent the sectional interest of certain groups in society, their function being primarily to defend the interests of, and provide a service to their members. The author also stated that promotional groups are concerned to promote or propagandize on behalf of particular cause or ideas, arising out of the attitudes and beliefs of their members.

Over all, pressure groups aim to make as much publicity and awareness of their cause as possible by attempting to exercise influence by direct and indirect action to the government or businesses. Direct action is the use of public forms of protest rather than negotiation to accomplish changes, which can include violent or non-violent activity. Direct forms of action include boycotting, marches, lobbying and civil disobedience that can all...

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...re both powerful groups with extensive recognition from businesses and the government, as a result of their direct forms of action and dedicated campaigns on global issues. In conclusion, pressure groups must consider the influencing factors of success, combined with the fluctuating business environment. Greenpeace and PETA have managed to exercise power successfully through indirect and direct action, in both peaceful and controversial methods. This has created a high standard to which sets a pedestal for smaller not-for-profit bodies and pushes other groups to create unique campaign strategies. Finally, it appears the collaboration between pressure groups and supra-national governance is one of the most effective approaches for influence in the business environment, as it leads to powerful connections, thus enhancing the pressure groups reliability and influence.

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