Home / Summaries / Public Policy A New Introduction / interest-members-public

Conclusions - Private Actors - Interest Groups

6 important questions on Conclusions - Private Actors - Interest Groups

What are interest groups?

Organizations that make policy suggestions to governments in order to bring public policies more in line with the interest of their members.

What are the three reasons for individuals to become members of an interest group?

- Enjoy benefits
- To pursue their specific goals.
- Membership can be seen as a (political) statement.

What is a private interest group?

Organization that seeks to affect policy-making in the way that it pursues the special preferences of their members.
Relatively small size, so less likely to experience free-riding problems.
(business groups, trade unions).

What is a public interest group?

Organization that seeks to pursue goals that are not exclusively limited to their members. Bigger, more vulnerable to free-riding.
(NGO's).

What is the difference between public interest groups and a social movement?

Social movement is composed of a network of individuals who engage in non-institutionalized coordinated actions to achieve a common goal while maintaining their autonomy. + scope is much greater.
Interest groups are more formally constituted and mostly engage in institutionalized actions, as they have regular access to different decision-making arenas.

How can an interest group affect policy making?

- inside lobbying (personal contact between interest groups and politicians. participation in legislative committees).
- outside lobbying (media activities, campaigning).
- establish a structure for political exchange with policy-makers.
- private interest government: private interest groups make legally binding decisions, thereby taking over a central function of the state.

The question on the page originate from the summary of the following study material:

Public Policy A New Introduction | 9781137573292 | Christoph Knill, et al

View summary