Pressure groups of the USA: why has activity grown in recent years?
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?- Created by: Jess
- Created on: 12-04-13 13:56
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- Why has activity grown in recent years?
- The growth of government intervention in health, welfare & the environment means government regulates large areas of citizens' lives, so groups are formed to defend their interests vis-a-vis government.
- A highly specialised & socially diverse society like the USA has thousands of different occupations & views, with groups forming to protect & promote these.
- The complexity of modern government decision making means lobbying is needed to provide specialised information to decision makers.
- One of the short-comings of representative democracy expressed through voting at elections is that a 'blanket vote' for party candidates means citizens cannot express their specific views & interests.
- There is widespread recognition that individuals have little effect politically: only when organised can they have an impact on government.
- It is said that the growing number of lobbies operating in US politics leads to a state of 'hyper-pluralism' in which government is overloaded with demands from powerful groups.
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