Lesson 2 Flashcards
Group theory of Politics (33 cards)
What is a group?
In public policy, a “group” in “group theory” refers to a collection of individuals with shared interest who come together to influence policy decisions, such as interest groups, advocacy organizations, or informal coalitions, essentially viewing public policy as a product of the power dynamics between these different groups vying for influence.
What is group theory/group theory?
- Group theory focuses on the formation and behavior of groups within a society.
- These groups can be formal organizations, interest groups, advocacy groups or informal coalitions with shared interest.
What is group interactions in group theory?
- The theory examines how groups interact with each other and with the broader political and social environment.
- It explores the dynamic of cooperation competition, conflict and collaboration among groups.
What does group theory asserts?
- Group theory asserts that groups play a crucial role in shaping public policies.
- The preferences, demands, and activities of various groups influence the policy-making process at different stages.
How does group theory emerge?
- The whole structure of modern society is associational
- Individuals bound together to form groups to pursue their own interest.
- Interest groups are widely perceived as channels through which societal interests express their policy preferences and as key actors in effective problem solving.
Who dominated early theories of state?
Earlier theories of state was dominated by institutionalism and elitist theories.
What is institutionalism?
Institutionalism focused on the way state institution, i.e., the executive, legislature, and the judiciary functions.
What is the concept of elite?
The concept of ‘elites’ is based on the notion that every society holds a ruling minority, a group that controls and disputes the most important power sources.
Why are groups important in the political and policy-making process?
Groups are the heart of politics and policy making in a complex, large and increasingly specialized governmental system.
What does the political theory of pluralism argue about the distribution of political power?
The political theory of pluralism holds that political power in society dies not lie with the electorate, or with a small concentrated elite, but is distributed among wide numbers of groups.
What is group membership?
First, group membership is defined as ‘objectively’ belonging to a particular social group. Psychological closeness to the group or even awareness of one’s membership is not necessary to be classified as a member.
What is the definition of “In-Group”?
This denotes a group of which a person is a member. An ingroup is a social category or group with which you identify strongly.
What is the definition of “Out-Group”?
This represents any group of which a person is not a member of a social category or group with which you do not identify.
What is an important characteristic of an in or out group?
An important characteristic of in-out group is that groups mark their identities communicatively by the distinctive language and speech styles they create and use, the dress codes they adopt, and the festivals and pageants that highlight their unique traditions and rituals, and so forth.
How is group identification defined?
Group identification is defined as having two related components:
1. A self-awareness of one’s membership in the group
2. A psychological sense of attachment to the group.
Thus defined, group membership is a necessary, but not sufficient, condition for group identification.
What is the definition of group consciousness?
This is a ‘politicized awareness, or ideology, regarding the the group’s relative positions in society, and a commitment to collective action aimed at realizing the group’s interests’
What is the definition of group affect?
Group affect refers simply to the positive or negative valence that an individual attaches to a group.
How do group members’ preferences influence their formation and behavior within a group?
Group members are united by their shared preferences on specific policies, and the preferences were revealed by the member’s activity or behavior.
Government as an Aggregation of Groups
Government is seen as an aggregations of groups which have interest and interactions with each other and outside groups.
What do group theorist assume about human behavior?
Group theorists assumed that humans have tendency to organize unaffiliated individual lacks means of access.
What is an underlying assumption of group approach?
The underlying assumption of group approach is that one cannot understand political behavior in the small group simply by knowing the characteristics of those who make up the group; the group setting is crucial factor.
Each group has character of its own, not reducible to its individual members. This is analogous to the holistic notion of national character.
What is Groupthink?
Int he group approach, so-called groupthink may be involved. Indications of the existence of groupthink include societal pressure to enforce conformity, limiting discussion to only few alternatives, failing to re-examine initial decisions, and making little attempt to seek information from outside experts who may challenge a preferred policy.
What are the dangers in a cohesive decision-making group?
In a cohesive decision-making group, that is, one made of people with common interests, there is always the danger that the decision-makers will fall into the trap of unconsciously making proposals that they think will please their colleagues.
The group begins to value an atmosphere of agreement more than rational decision resulting from full, open, and more critical discussions of the issues.
What are the criticisms of the Group Approach?
- It ignores individual, so it cannot account for individual by group membership
- Its exclusiveness to U.S. system limits generalizability
- The concept of group loses its sensible meaning if defined broadly enough to include all political activity, and does not adequately deal wit the psychological bases of individual political or account for the impact of government institutions upon individual and group behavior.