Advocacy groups (also pressure groups, lobby groups and some interest groups and special interest groups) use various forms of advocacy Advocacy by an individual or by an advocacy group normally aim to influence public-policy and resource allocation decisions within political, economic, and social systems and institutions; it may be motivated from moral, ethical or faith principles or simply to protect an asset of interest. Advocacy can include many activities that a person or to influence public opinion Public opinion is the aggregate of individual attitudes or beliefs held by the adult population. Public opinion can also be defined as the complex collection of opinions of many different people and the sum of all their views. The principle approaches to the study of public opinion may be divided into 4 categories: and/or policy; they have played and continue to play an important part in the development of political and social systems. Groups vary considerably in size, influence and motive; some have wide ranging long term social purposes, others are focused and are a response to an immediate issue or concern.

Motives for action may be based on a shared political Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to behavior within civil governments, but politics has been observed in other group interactions, including corporate, academic, and religious institutions. It consists of "social relations involving authority or power" and refers to, faith Faith is the confident belief or trust in the truth or trustworthiness of a person, idea, or thing. The word "faith" can refer to a religion itself or to religion in general, moral Morality is a sense of behavioral conduct that differentiates intentions, decisions, and actions between those that are good (or right) and bad (or wrong). A moral code is a system of morality (for example, according to a particular philosophy, religion, culture, etc.) and a moral is any one practice or teaching within a moral code. Immorality is or commercial Commerce is a division of trade or production which deals with the exchange of goods and services from producer to final consumer OR commerce is the exchange of goods and services from the point of production to the point of consumption to satisfy human wants. It comprises the trading of something of economic value such as goods, services, position. Groups use varied methods to try to achieve their aims including lobbying Lobbying is a form of advocacy with the intention of influencing decisions made by legislators and officials in the government by individuals, other legislators, constituents, or advocacy groups. A lobbyist is a person who tries to influence legislation on behalf of a special interest or a member of a lobby. Governments often define and regulate, media campaigns, publicity stunts, polls, research and policy briefings. Some groups are supported by powerful business or political interests and exert considerable influence on the political process, others have few such resources.

Some have developed into important social, political institutions or social movements Social movements are a type of group action. They are large informal groupings of individuals and/or organizations focused on specific political or social issues, in other words, on carrying out, resisting or undoing a social change. Some powerful Lobby groups have been accused of manipulating the democratic system for narrow commercial Commerce is a division of trade or production which deals with the exchange of goods and services from producer to final consumer OR commerce is the exchange of goods and services from the point of production to the point of consumption to satisfy human wants. It comprises the trading of something of economic value such as goods, services, gain^[1] and in some instances have been found guilty of corruption Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by private persons or corporations not directly involved, fraud, bribery and other serious crimes;^[2] lobbying has become increasingly regulated as a result. Some groups, generally ones with less financial resources may use direct action Direct action is activity undertaken by individuals, groups, or governments to achieve political, economic, or social goals outside of normal social/political channels. Direct action can include nonviolent and violent activities which target persons, groups, or property deemed offensive to the direct action participant. Examples of nonviolent and civil disobedience Civil disobedience is the active refusal to obey certain laws, demands, and commands of a government, or of an occupying international power. Civil disobedience is usually, but not always, defined as being nonviolent resistance. In its most nonviolent form it could be said that it is compassion in the form of respectful disagreement. One of its and in some cases are accused of being a threat to the social order or 'domestic extremists'.^[3]

Overview

A single-issue groups may form in response to a particular issue area sometimes in response to a single event or threat. In some cases initiatives initially championed by advocacy groups later become institutionalized as important elements of civic life (for example universal education or regulation of doctors — see below for details). Groups representing broad interests of a group may be formed with the purpose of benefiting the group over an expended period of time and in many ways, for example as Consumer organizations Consumer organizations are advocacy groups that seek to protect people from corporate abuse. Unsafe products, predatory lending, false advertising, astroturfing and pollution are all examples of corporate abuse, Professional associations A professional association is a non-profit organization seeking to further a particular profession, the interests of individuals engaged in that profession, and the public interest, Trade associations An industry trade group, also known as a trade association, is an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry. An industry trade association participates in public relations activities such as advertising, education, political donations, lobbying and publishing, but its main focus is collaboration between and Trade unions A trade union or labor union (American English) is an organization of workers who have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members (rank and file members) and negotiates labor contracts (collective bargaining) with.

Lobby groups lobby Lobbying is a form of advocacy with the intention of influencing decisions made by legislators and officials in the government by individuals, other legislators, constituents, or advocacy groups. A lobbyist is a person who tries to influence legislation on behalf of a special interest or a member of a lobby. Governments often define and regulate for a change to the law or the maintenance of a particular law and big business funds very considerable lobbying influence on legislators, for example in the in the USA Lobbying in the United States targets the United States Senate, the United States House of Representatives, and state legislatures. Lobbyists may also represent their clients' or organizations' interests in dealings with federal, state, or local executive branch agencies or the courts. Lobby groups and their members sometimes also write and in the UK In the United Kingdom, a variety of pressure groups, commercial organisations or individuals seek to influence the policies and decisions of British government, Parliament and other political organs at state and local levels. These activities can be characterised as lobbying. The word itself derives from the tradition of individual constituents where lobbying first developed. Some Lobby groups have considerable financial resources at their disposal. Lobbying is regulated to stop the worst abuses which can develop into corruption Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by private persons or corporations not directly involved. In the United States the Internal Revenue Service The Internal Revenue Service is the revenue service of the United States federal government. The agency is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury, and is under the immediate direction of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue. The IRS is responsible for collecting taxes and the interpretation and enforcement of the IRC (Internal Revenue Code) makes a clear distinction between lobbying and advocacy.^[4]

Influential Advocacy groups

There are many significant advocacy groups through history, some of which could be considered to operate with different dynamics and could better be described as social movements Social movements are a type of group action. They are large informal groupings of individuals and/or organizations focused on specific political or social issues, in other words, on carrying out, resisting or undoing a social change. Here are some notable groups operating in different parts of the world:-

• British Medical Association The British Medical Association is the professional association and registered trade union for doctors in the United Kingdom. The association does not regulate or certify doctors, a responsibility which lies with the General Medical Council. The association’s headquarters are located in BMA House, Tavistock Square, London. Additionally, the formed at a meeting of 50 doctors in 1832 for the sharing of knowledge; lobbying led to the Medical Act 1858 and the formation of the General Medical Council The General Medical Council registers and regulates doctors in the United Kingdom. It has the power to revoke the registration, or place restrictions on it, if they deem a doctor unfit to practise in the UK. The current president of the council is Professor Peter Rubin which has registered and regulated doctors in the UK to this date.
• Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament is an anti-nuclear organization that advocates unilateral nuclear disarmament by the United Kingdom, and for international nuclear disarmament and tighter international arms regulation through agreements such as the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. It opposes military action that may result in the use of non-proliferation The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, also Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty is a treaty to limit the spread (proliferation) of nuclear weapons. The treaty came into force on 5 March 1970 and currently there are 189 states party to the treaty, five of which are recognized as nuclear weapon states: the United States, Russia, the of nuclear weapons and unilateral nuclear disarmament Nuclear disarmament refers to both the act of reducing or eliminating nuclear weapons and to the end state of a nuclear-free world, in which nuclear weapons are completely eliminated in the UK since 1957 who's logo is now an international peace symbol A peace symbol is a representation or object that has come to symbolize peace. Several different symbols have been used throughout history, of which the dove, olive branch, and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament symbol are perhaps the best known.
• Center for Auto Safety The Center for Auto Safety was founded in 1970 by Consumers Union and Ralph Nader as a Washington, D.C.-based lobbying group focused on the United States automotive industry Formed in 1970 to give consumers a voice for auto safety and quality in the United States
• Drug Policy Alliance The Drug Policy Alliance is a New York City-based non-profit organization with the principal goal of ending the American "War on Drugs". Its goals include nationwide availability of medicinal marijuana, the creation of drug-related public health measures, ending abuses of asset forfeiture, repealing non-violent drug sentences, repealing (Drug law: USA)
• Energy Lobby "Energy Lobby" is the umbrella term used to name the paid representatives of large oil, gas, coal, and electric utilities corporations who attempt to influence governmental policy. So-called Big Oil companies such as ExxonMobil, Royal Dutch Shell, BP, Total S.A., Chevron Corporation, and ConocoPhillips are amongst the largest Representatives of large oil, gas, coal, and electric utilities corporations attempting to influence governmental policy in the United States
• Greenpeace Greenpeace is a non-governmental environmental organization with offices in over 40 countries and with an international coordinating body in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Greenpeace states its goal is to "ensure the ability of the Earth to nurture life in all its diversity". Greenpeace uses direct action, lobbying and research to achieve its Formed in 1970 as the Don't Make a Wave Committee to resist Nuclear weapons testing Nuclear weapons tests are experiments carried out to determine the effectiveness, yield and explosive capability of nuclear weapons. Throughout the twentieth century, most nations that have developed nuclear weapons have tested them. Testing nuclear weapons can yield information about how the weapons work, as well as how the weapons behave under in the United States.
• National Rifle Association The National Rifle Association of America, or NRA, is an American non-partisan, non-profit (501(4)) organization which lists as its goals the protection of the Second Amendment of the United States Bill of Rights and the promotion of firearm ownership rights as well as marksmanship, firearm safety, and the protection of hunting and self-defense in Formed in New York is 1871 to protect the rights of gun-owners
• Oxfam Oxfam International is a confederation of 14 organisations working with over 3,000 partners in around 100 countries to find lasting solutions to poverty and injustice Formed in 1942 as the 'Oxford Oxford (pronounced /ˈɒksfərd/ ) is a city, and the county town of Oxfordshire, in South East England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 151,000 living within the district boundary. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through Oxford and meet south of the city centre. For a distance Committee for Famine Relief Famine relief is an organized effort to reduce starvation in a region in which there is famine. A famine is a phenomenon in which a large proportion of the population of a region or country are so undernourished that death by starvation becomes increasingly common. In spite of the much greater technological and economic resources of the modern'.
• Pennsylvania Abolition Society Formed in Philadelphia Philadelphia is the largest city in Pennsylvania and the sixth-most-populous city in the United States in 1775 with a view to abolish slavery Abolitionism was a movement in western Europe and the Americas to end the slave trade and set slaves free. The slave system aroused little protest until the 18th century, when rationalist thinkers of the Enlightenment criticized it for violating the rights of man, and Quaker and other evangelical religious groups condemned it as un-Christian in the United States
• People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is an animal rights organization based in Norfolk, Virginia, USA. With two million members and supporters worldwide, it claims the status of the largest animal rights group in the world. Ingrid Newkirk is its international president Animal rights
• Royal Society for the Protection of Birds The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds is a British charitable organisation which works to promote conservation and protection of birds and the wider environment through public awareness campaigns, petitions and through the operation of nature reserves throughout the United Kingdom. The RSPB has 1,500 employees, 12,200 volunteers and over 1 Founded in Manchester Manchester (pronounced /ˈmæntʃɛstə/ ) is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. In 2008, the population of the city was estimated to be 464,200, making it the seventh-most populous local authority district in England. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas; the metropolitan county of Greater in 1889 to campaign against the 'barbarous trade in plumes for women's hats'.^[5]
• Sierra Club The Sierra Club is the oldest and largest grassroots environmental organization in the United States. It was founded on May 28, 1892 in San Francisco, California by the well-known conservationist and preservationist John Muir, who became its first president. The Sierra Club has hundreds of thousands of members in chapters located throughout the US, Formed in 1892 to help protect the Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada is a mountain range located in California and Nevada, United States. The range is also known informally as "the Sierra," "the High Sierra," and "the Sierras.".
• Stop the War Coalition against the War on Terrorism The War on Terror is the campaign launched by the United States of America, under the Presidency of George W. Bush, with the support of the United Kingdom, NATO and other countries. The campaign was launched in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks and had the stated objective of eliminating international terrorism which included a march of between 750,000 and 2,000,000 people in London in 2003.^[6]
• Suffragettes Suffragette is a term originally coined by the Daily Mail newspaper as a derogatory label for the more militant members of the late-19th and early-20th century movement for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom, in particular members of the Women's Social and Political Union . However, after former and then active members of the movement began to Voting rights for women after direct action Direct action is activity undertaken by individuals, groups, or governments to achieve political, economic, or social goals outside of normal social/political channels. Direct action can include nonviolent and violent activities which target persons, groups, or property deemed offensive to the direct action participant. Examples of nonviolent and hunger strikes from 1865-1928 in the United Kingdom
• Sunday School movement Formed in about 1751 to pomoting universal schooling in the UK
• Tories Formed in 1678 to resist the British Exclusion Bill; it developed into one of the first political parties, now known as the Conservative Party.

Corruption and illegal activity

In some instances Advocacy groups are convicted of illegal activity. Major examples include:

• Jack Abramoff Indian lobbying scandal Corrupt and fraudulent lobbying in relation to Native American gambling enterprises
• Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement between the Attorneys General of 46 states and the four largest US tobacco companies who agreed to pay $206 billion over the first twenty-five years of the agreement.

Adversarial groupings

On some controversial issues there are a number of competing advocacy groups, sometimes with very different resources available to them:

• Pro-choice movement vs Pro-life movement (abortion policy in the United States)
• SPEAK campaign vs Pro-Test (animal testing in United Kingdom)
• The Automobile Association vs Pedestrians' Association (now 'Living Streets') (road safety in the United Kingdom since 1929)
• Tobacco Institute vs Action on Smoking and Health (tobacco legislation)
• Flying Matters vs Plane Stupid (aviation policy in the United Kingdom since 2007)

Benefits and incentives

The general theory is that individuals must be enticed with some type of benefit to join an interest group.^[7] Known as the Free Rider Problem, it refers to the difficulty of obtaining members of a particular interest group when the benefits are already reaped without membership. For instance, an interest group dedicated to improving farming standards will fight for the general goal of improving farming for every farmer, even those who are not members of that particular interest group. So there is no real incentive to join an interest group and pay dues if they will receive that benefit anyway.^[8] Interest groups must receive dues and contributions from its members in order to accomplish its agenda. While every individual in the world would benefit from a cleaner environment, that Environmental protection interest group does not, in turn, receive monetary help from every individual in the world.^[9]

Selective material benefits are benefits that are usually given in monetary benefits. For instance, if an interest group gives a material benefit to their member, they could give them travel discounts, free meals at certain restaurants, or free subscriptions to magazines, newspapers, or journals.^[10] Many trade and professional interest groups tend to give these types of benefits to their members. A selective solidary benefit is another type of benefit offered to members or prospective members of an interest group. These incentives involve benefits like "socializing congeniality, the sense of group membership and identification, the status resulting from membership, fun and conviviality, the maintenance of social distinctions, and so on.^[11] A solidary incentive is when the rewards for participation are socially derived and created out of the act of association.

An expressive incentive is another basic type of incentive or benefit offered to being a member of an interest group. People who join an interest group because of expressive benefits likely joined to express an ideological or moral value that they believe in. Some include free speech, civil rights, economic justice, or political equality. To obtain these types of benefits, members would simply pay dues, donate their time or money to get a feeling of satisfaction from expressing a political value. Also, it would not matter if the interest group achieved their goal, but these members would be able to say they helped out in the process of trying to obtain these goals, which is the expressive incentive that they got in the first place.^[12] The types of interest groups that rely on expressive benefits or incentives would be environmental groups and groups who claim to be lobbying for the public interest.^[9]

Some public policy interests are not recognized or addressed by a group at all, and these interests are labeled latent interests.

See also

• Identity politics
• Lobbying in the United States
• Pressure groups in the United Kingdom

Notes

1. ^ Helm, Toby (2009-01-18). "Fury at airport lobby links to No 10". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/jan/18/heathrow-third-runway. Retrieved 2010-03-04.
2. ^ "COMPLAINTS FROM MR MOHAMED AL FAYED,THE GUARDIAN AND OTHERS AGAINST 25 MEMBERS AND FORMER MEMBERS". Parliament. http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199798/cmselect/cmstnprv/240vii/sp0703.htm. Retrieved 2010-03-08.
3. ^ Monbiot, George (2009-02-16). "Meet the new Britain: just like the old one where green protesters are spied on". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/georgemonbiot/2009/feb/13/george-monbiot-police-protestors. Retrieved 2009-02-23.
4. ^ "Lobbying Versus Advocacy: Legal Definitions". NP Action. http://www.npaction.org/article/articleview/76/1/248. Retrieved 2010-03-02.
5. ^ "History of the RSPB". RSPB. http://www.rspb.org.uk/about/history/index.asp. Retrieved 2007-02-19.
6. ^ "'Million' march against Iraq war". BBC News. 16 February 2003. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/2765041.stm.
7. ^ John R. Wright "Interest Groups and Congress, Lobbying, Contributions, and Influence" pp. 19–22.
8. ^ Mancur Olson, The Logic of Collective Action (Harvard U. Press, 1971) pp. 111–131.
9. ^ ^{a b} John R. Wright "Interest Groups and Congress, Lobbying, Contributions, and Influence" pp. 19–21.
10. ^ Olson, The Logic of Collective Action pp. 133–134.
11. ^ Peter B. Clark and James Q. Wilson, "Incentive Systems: A Theory of Organizations" Administrative Science Quarterly 6 (1961): pg. 134-135.
12. ^ Robert H. Salisbury, "An Exchange Theory of Interest Groups." Midwest Journal of Political Science 13 (1969): pp. 1–32.

References

• James Q. Wilson, Political Organization.

External links

• Benefits and disadvantages of interest groups in a democracy
• Sullivan, Arthur; Steven M. Sheffrin (2003). Economics: Principles in action. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458: Pearson Prentice Hall. pp. 54. ISBN 0-13-063085-3. http://www.pearsonschool.com/index.cfm?locator=PSZ3R9&PMDbSiteId=2781&PMDbSolutionId=6724&PMDbCategoryId=&PMDbProgramId=12881&level=4.

Categories: Advocacy groups | Political terms | Lobbying | Identity politics

See Also:

• Home
• Grief
• Self-care
• Support Group
• Support Group

What Links Here:

• Home
• Support Groups

Recently Viewed Pages:

• Health: Addictions: Substance Abuse: Support Groups: Celebrate Recovery: Directory
• Sitemap
• Home
• Support Group: News
• About Us
• Dictionary
• Celebrate Recovery
• Celebrate Recovery: News
• Society: Support Groups: Codependency: Directory
• Infertility

Most Popular Pages:

• Home
• Departmentalization
• Impalement: Encyclopedia
• Departmentalization: Encyclopedia
• Society: Support Groups: Codependency: Directory
• Summa: Answers
• Interest Group: Web Search
• Search Terms
• Yolk Sac: Blogs
• Directory Sites

Related 'Interest Group' Searches: