Interest Groups as Part of, or a Threat to, Democracy

A political grouping with individuals or groups of a common purpose is known as an interested party. The communities are officially grouped around a single or mutual interest. The primary target is often to sway public policy in their favor (Gilens, et al. 574). In the United States, an advocacy community is one of the mechanisms by which people make their ideas and points of view available to electors. The primary aim of the groups is to employ lobbyists to represent them and communicate their interests to the government. Another I many cases, at Government always end up conducting activities that are direct to their advantage (La Palombara and Joseph, 34). This essay is an argument of whether the interest groups are part or a threat to the democracy of a country's citizens.

In most cases, citizens of a country see lobbying as a great idea. It is believed that, through lobbying, the interest of the poor can be heard by the government. It also makes the voice of the minority to be recognized during the formulation and implementation governmental policies. In America, communities find lobbying as a useful part of democracy since all the parts of society are represented. The politician can therefore not easily ignores the interest of their citizens at one time. For instance, Switzerland laborers have greatly benefited from interest group in the fought for their rights. The groups lobby with the government to reschedule working hours from 10 hours a day to 8 hours in the 5 days of the week. This was to the advantage of citizens' democratic rights. However, some people view lobbying as a dark art that is associated with corruption and of specific economic interest among the officials.

The darkest part of lobbying can be easily seen in third world countries such as the Yemen. The officials and other business tycoons serve their personal interest through the help of government officials. They amend laws that can secure and sustain their businesses in the countries (Craig and Richard, 72). The interests of the poor are not felt by the government. The result is always a widened gap between the poor and the affluent in the society. The poor vote for their leaders who are then manipulated and turned against them in the society. The sense of democracy is not evident as only the expectations of the affluent minority are considered.

A second positive notion about the interest groups is the Pluralism. The democratic benefit arises by the various interest groups working against each other. The policies and principles of each group are always balanced on one another so that a common interest and good can be achieved. President James Madison was the first to place his idea about the interest groups on his article “federalist paper 10”. His urge was to urge New Yorkers to ratify the Constitution. According to Madison, competing interest groups were very important in the government (Berry and Jeffrey, 47). The reason was that it was not only a means of making a contribution to democratic processes. Instead, it was also a way of preventing the minority form imposing their will and interest on the majority. Interest groups are therefore argued to be a vital party for democracy.

However, Pluralism has got several severe flaws. Critics argue that there is njoth9ing like a common interest in the society where people have got conflicting interest. A good for one person may not be a good for another person. The argument is that pluralism affects democracy since. The minority seek the benefits of their people rather than the greater population of the majority. The best example is the National Rifle Association in the United States. The organization has repeatedly blocked the new gun control legislation. The policy has been apprehended despite the fact that many Americans wants the stricter gun laws. Other critics also have it that the interest groups ar4e only for economic interest groups in the country. The association considers those worth huge financial possessions at disposal. In Washington DC, nearly two-thirds of the lobby groups represent the economic cartels. The groups tend to ignore the interest of the poor in favor of the middle and upper-class members in America. This is because it is bele3ived that the rich have time and money to offer, unlike the poor minority.

Interest groups have greatly supplement electoral democracy. The elections always exercise public opinions at the time of voting. The interest groups then come in to keep the government up to date with the various public opinions between the election periods (Danziger, et al. 82). The groups also give voice to different sections of the society who might be overlooked or rather go unheard in by the politicians. To a great shock, some scholars claim that the pressure groups concentrate power among the few instead of spreading it all around. This is because, during the elections and campaigns, the group may end up funding campaigns to strengthen and defend their interest. The most successful group are the wealthiest rather than the popular.

Conclusion

In summary, Interests groups create a significant deal of controversy. The argument to and against the group are overwhelming. A huge dilemma is set up on whether to depend on the interest groups or do away with them completely (Almond, et al. 57). The best opinion is to retain the groups. To avoid complaints about the gap between the poor and the wealthier, the low-class societies should also be given a chance of electing their interest groups. Therefore, during the policies amendment, their groups will ensure a common interest that favors them has been served. The groups will not be seen as a threat to the democracy of the country but as a significant part of the county’s democracy.











































Reference

Almond, Gabriel Abraham, and Sidney Verba. The civic culture: Political attitudes and democracy in five nations. Princeton University Press, 2015.

Berry, Jeffrey M. Lobbying for the people: The political behavior of public interest groups. Princeton University Press, 2015.

Craig, Richard B. The Bracero program: Interest groups and foreign policy. University of Texas Press, 2014.

Danziger, James N., and Charles A. Smith. Understanding the political world: a comparative introduction to political science. Pearson, 2015.

Gilens, Martin, and Benjamin I. Page. "Testing theories of American politics: Elites, interest groups, and average citizens." Perspectives on politics 12.03 (2014): 564-581.

La Palombara, Joseph. Interest groups in Italian politics. Princeton University Press, 2015.