pressure groups

pressure groups
Pressure groups work on behalf of a particular section of society, e.g. children or nurses, or for a particular issue or cause, e.g. banning the use of landmines. Groups that work on behalf of a section of society are sometimes called interest groups. Those that work for a particular cause are known as promotional groups or simply pressure groups. These pressure groups operate in a similar way in Britain and in the US.
  There are several types of interest groups. Trade unions and labor unions represent workers in industry and are mostly concerned with their wages and welfare. Professional bodies such as the British Medical Association are similar to trade unions. In Britain several watchdogs have been established by Act of Parliament to monitor (= check the performance of) certain industries, e.g. Ofgem, which oversees the gas and electricity industries on behalf of users. Many promotional groups are linked to charities. Since charities are not allowed to take part in party political activity, many set up a related organization to act as a pressure group. In the US many pressure groups form political action committees which are allowed to give money to political campaigns. Well-known promotional groups include Friends of the Earth and Amnesty International. There are also many smaller groups, usually less permanent, which are formed to protest about local issues.
  Pressure groups aim to influence the government to the benefit of their members or the cause they support. They may draw attention to problems by asking people to sign a petition (= a formal request signed by many people), by giving media interviews, or by organizing demonstrations that will attract public and media attention. Many groups try to get the support of well-known people such as pop stars. They also try to persuade politicians to support their cause and to speak about it in Parliament or Congress, a practice known as lobbying. More established pressure groups may be consulted by a government department or take part in working groups when changes to the law are being considered.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • pressure groups —    Pressure groups are organizations whose members act collectively to affect public policy in order to promote a common interest. They are usually distinguishable from political parties in that they do not wish to govern. They may be divided… …   Encyclopedia of contemporary British culture

  • pressure groups — Groups of persons, employers, or other organizations joining together to represent the interests of a particular sectional groupvis à vis governments, the public at large, or other interest groups . Pressure groups, lobby groups, and interest… …   Dictionary of sociology

  • Pressure groups in Scotland — Due to Scotland having a distinct cultural and political identity, as well as a separate legal system (and again since 1999, a separate legislature), a number of pressure groups have formed that organise in Scotland alone as well as others that… …   Wikipedia

  • Standing Committee on Pressure Groups — The Standing Committee on Pressure Groups (SCOPG) was a secret committee set up in 1978 by the Hong Kong government to monitor the activities of pressure groups. The existence of this committee was first revealed in the New Statesman on December… …   Wikipedia

  • Jersey Pressure Groups — Jersey This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Jersey …   Wikipedia

  • List of pressure groups in the United Kingdom — This is a list of pressure groups in the United Kingdom. These pressure groups, based on their relationship with United Kingdom policy makers, can be divided into insider groups, who have high degree of involvement and influence and outsider… …   Wikipedia

  • pressure group — pressure groups …   Dictionary of sociology

  • pressure group —    Pressure groups are private and voluntary organisations that seek to influence particular government policies but do not wish to become the government or control all government policies. They operate in the space between government and society …   Glossary of UK Government and Politics

  • pressure group — pressure groups N COUNT A pressure group is an organized group of people who are trying to persuade a government or other authority to do something, for example to change a law. ...the environmental pressure group Greenpeace …   English dictionary

  • pressure group — n a group or organization that tries to influence the opinions of ordinary people and persuade the government to do something →↑interest group ▪ environmental pressure groups …   Dictionary of contemporary English

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”