Interest Groups in a Functioning Democracy

In any functioning democracy, interest groups play a vital role as they share a common belief on a particular issue. They step in for the people as political personnel cannot deliver sufficient representation aimed at the diverse interests of the public in a democratic country. This is because the main role of political parties is combining interests into an articulate political body capable of governing the country.

The quality of government is improved by the interest groups. Being the people on the ground who interact directly with the general public enables them to consult with the people and understand their problems thus addressing them to the government enabling a rational decision making. The efficiency of the government is improved by increasing the value of the process of making decisions (Martini, 2012). The information and advice provided by interest groups   advances the excellence of government strategies and legislation also.

Special interest groups supplements the work of the opposition party through scrutiny of the government by exposing some important information that the government would have wanted to remain a secret. This therefore improves the quality of accountability of the government towards its citizens.

Anxieties and important concerns are able to reach the political group. Through this social development is facilitated thus avoiding social inactivity. For instance, providing a conducive environment to conduct business thus enabling people to meet their basic human needs and also creating favorable conditions for all individuals to reach their maximum potential.

Interest groups well represent the people by facilitating public engagement which offers a podium for people to be associated with the political and social community. Advancement of grassroots movements which begin at the local levels magnifies the voices of the people through appropriate organization allowing them to take part in ways which would otherwise be impossible (Etzioni, 1985). For example, they allow the people to aggressively work on an issue in an effort to impact the public policy.

In conclusion, majority of the people do not have the political knowhow on government affairs and bank on these interest groups to represent them. These groups have tremendous resources which can impact on the decisions of the government for the good of the general public. For instance they can use their financial powers to hire petitioners to represent the interests of the people who would otherwise be disadvantaged due to lack of funds and powerful representation.

References

Martini, M. (2012). Influence of interest groups on policy-making. Transparency International, 1-9.

Etzioni, A. (1985). Special Interest Groups Versus Constituency Representation. Social Movements, Conflicts and Change, 171-195.

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Interest Groups in a Functioning Democracy

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This discussion board assignment has two parts. You must complete both to receive full
credit for this assignment.
First, you’ll need to create a thread that answers the questions found below. Next, you’ll
need to respond with a comment to at least two other participants discussion threads.
Do you agree or disagree with their responses? Why or why not?

i) What role do interest groups play in a well-functioning democracy?
ii) Are ordinary citizens well represented by interest groups, or do certain groups have
privileged access at the expense of others?