Interest Groups and Social Movements

Question 1

what are interest groups?

Answer 1

organisations that defend interests of a particular group of people

Question 2

what are the different types of interest groups?

Answer 2

1. Protective/defensive groups
2. Promotional groups
3. Peak associations
4. Think-tanks

Question 3

what are protective/defensive groups?

Answer 3

seek selective benefits for their members (pay rise)

Question 4

what are promotional groups?

Answer 4

seek to advocate ideas of some general political cause using established channels (gun rights)

Question 5

what are peak associations?

Answer 5

interest groups whose members are businesses or other organisations rather than individuals

Question 6

what are think-tanks?

Answer 6

a body of experts providing advice and ideas on specific political or economic problems

Question 7

what are the main five functions of interest groups?

Answer 7

1. Increase representation and participation
2. Public awareness
3. Agenda Setting
4. Monitoring of Government
5. Lobbying

Question 8

what are the two main categories in the context of interest groups?

Answer 8

corporatism and pluralism

Question 9

what is corporatism?

Answer 9

institutionalised cooperation between key interest groups, political parties and the state in formulation of public policies

Question 10

what are the characteristics of interest groups under corporatism?

Answer 10

1. integrated in a set of institutional arrangements, facilitating permanent bargaining
2. centralised and concentrated in ‘peak associations’
3. willing to compromise

Question 11

what is pluralism?

Answer 11

competition between interest groups for influence on public policies in which the state plays a neutral role

Question 12

what are the characteristics of interest groups under pluralism?

Answer 12

1. dispersed across different institutional arenas
2. fragmented into a number of groups
3. competing with each other

Question 13

what has caused the relative decline of corporatism?

Answer 13

economies have changed: the emergence of post-industrial society undermines corporatist arrangements

Question 14

what has pluralism recently shifted to?

Answer 14

policy/issue networks

Question 15

what are policy/issue networks?

Answer 15

heterogeneous group of persons and organisations, including interest groups, that are part of a relatively loose but enduring social structure

Question 16

what are the main characteristics of policy/issue networks?

Answer 16

1. also include states as interested actors
2. also include non-governmental organisations, including individual economic firms and think-tanks
3. also include individual experts of all sorts

Question 17

what are social movements?

Answer 17

dense organisational networks of people sharing some common identity, who engage in a sustained series of non-institutionalised action

Question 18

what are the three most important elements of social movements? (Kriesi, 2008)

Answer 18

1. Common sense of identity
2. Sustained action
3. Non-institutionalised channels of operation

Question 19

what are some examples of social movements?

Answer 19

-Hippie movement
-Greenpeace
-Pegida