Is the influence healthy?
It may appear at first that having power in a democracy is unhealthy for organizations that promote the interests of one portion of the population. A democracy must consider the interests of all citizens, not just one group. Furthermore, these organizations may appear to wield power without accountability. Political parties must confront voters in elections, but they are not accountable to the general public. Pressure groups with little public support but a lot of money can sometimes hijack public debate in order to further their restricted objective.
Pressure organizations and movements, on the other hand, have helped to strengthen democracy. In a democracy, putting pressure on the rulers is not a bad thing as long as everyone has the ability to do so. Governments are regularly susceptible to unjustified pressure from a tiny group of affluent and powerful individuals. Public interest groups and movements play a vital role in resisting undue influence and reminding the government of the needs and concerns of ordinary individuals.
Sectional interest groups also play an important role. If one group brings pressure on the government to make policies according to them, counter-pressure is allotted by other groups for against favoritism and as a result, the government gets to know about what different sections of society want and this leads to a rough balance of power and accommodation of conflicting interests.
Pressure Groups and Movements
A pressure group refers to a group of people; who are organized activities for promoting and defending their common interests. It is called so for bringing a change in public policies by the exertion of some pressure on the government and also acts as a catalyst between the government and its members.
Pressure groups are also referred to as interest groups or vested groups and they differ from the political parties; as they do not contest in elections and also do not try to capture political power. Protection and promotion of their members from the influence of the government are one of their primary concerns. They influence policy making and policy implementation in the government through legal as well as legitimate methods.
These groups come in a variety of shapes and sizes :
- From the standpoint of purpose, self-seeking, and altruism.
- With regard to the point of tenure, ephemeral and long-term; and with regard to the formal or informal bureaucratic organization, taking into account the fact of power position.
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