Political Science
Textbooks
Boundless Political Science
Interest Groups
Interest Groups
Political Science Textbooks Boundless Political Science Interest Groups Interest Groups
Political Science Textbooks Boundless Political Science Interest Groups
Political Science Textbooks Boundless Political Science
Political Science Textbooks
Political Science
Concept Version 6
Created by Boundless

The Function of Interest Groups

An advocacy group is a group or an organization that tries to influence the government but does not hold power in the government.

Learning Objective

  • Compare and contrast the function of interest groups


Key Points

    • A single-issue group may form in response to a particular issue area sometimes in response to a single event or threat. In some cases initiatives initially championed by advocacy groups later become institutionalized as important elements of civic life.
    • Anti-defamation organizations issue responses or criticisms to real or supposed slights of any sort by an individual or group against a specific segment of the population that the organization exists to represent.
    • Watchdog groups exist to provide oversight and rating of actions or media by various outlets, both government and corporate. They may also index personalities, organizations, products and activities in databases to provide coverage and rating of the value of such entities.
    • Lobby groups work for a change to the law or the maintenance of a particular law and big businesses fund very considerable lobbying influence on legislators, for example in the U.S. and in the U.K. where lobbying first developed.
    • Legal defense funds provide funding for the legal defense for, or legal action against, individuals or groups related to their specific interests or target demographic by filing Amicus Curiae in court.

Terms

  • legal defense funds

    Legal defense funds provide funding for the legal defense for, or legal action against, individuals or groups related to their specific interests or target demographic.

  • lobby groups

    The act of attempting to persuade a group of people that influence decisions made by officials in the government, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies.

  • anti-defamation organizations

    Anti-defamation organizations issue responses or criticisms to real or supposed slights of any sort by an individual or group against a specific segment of the population that the organization exists to represent.

  • advocacy group

    An advocacy group is a group or an organization that tries to influence the government but does not hold power in the government.

  • watchdog groups

    Watchdog groups exist to provide oversight and rating of actions or media by various outlets, both government and corporate.


Example

    • Groups representing broad interests of a group may be formed with the purpose of benefiting the group over an expended period of time and in many ways; examples include Consumer organizations, Professional associations, Trade associations and Trade unions.

Full Text

Introduction

An advocacy group is a group or an organization that tries to influence the government but does not hold power in the government . A single-issue group may form in response to a particular issue area sometimes in response to a single event or threat. In some cases initiatives initially championed by advocacy groups later become institutionalized as important elements of civic life (for example universal education or regulation of doctors). Groups representing broad interests of a group may be formed with the purpose of benefiting the group over an extended period of time and in many ways; examples include Consumer organizations, Professional associations, Trade associations and Trade unions.

Health News Watchdog

Media watchdogs ensure that media coverage is factually accurate and as objective as possible.

Activities

Advocacy groups exist in a wide variety of genres based upon their most pronounced activities . Anti-defamation organizations issue responses or criticisms to real or supposed slights of any sort by an individual or group against a specific segment of the population that the organization exists to represent. Watchdog groups exist to provide oversight and rating of actions or media by various outlets, both government and corporate. They may also index personalities, organizations, products and activities in databases to provide coverage and rating of the value or viability of such entities to target demographics.

Support Public Libraries Advocacy

Advocacy groups seek to influence government policy. In cases such as public libraries, advocacy groups have been critical in lobbying for continued funding across the nation.

Lobby groups work for a change to the law or the maintenance of a particular law and big businesses fund very considerable lobbying influence on legislators, for example in the U.S. and in the U.K. where lobbying first developed. Legal defense funds provide funding for the legal defense for, or legal action against, individuals or groups related to their specific interests or target demographic. This is often accompanied by one of the above types of advocacy groups filing Amicus curiae if the cause at stake serves the interests of both the legal defense fund and the other advocacy groups.

[ edit ]
Edit this content
Prev Concept
Motivations Behind the Formation of Interest Groups
Interest Groups vs. Political Parties
Next Concept
Subjects
  • Accounting
  • Algebra
  • Art History
  • Biology
  • Business
  • Calculus
  • Chemistry
  • Communications
  • Economics
  • Finance
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • Microbiology
  • Physics
  • Physiology
  • Political Science
  • Psychology
  • Sociology
  • Statistics
  • U.S. History
  • World History
  • Writing

Except where noted, content and user contributions on this site are licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 with attribution required.