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Political Interaction: Interest Groups And American Government's Policy Making

Posted on:2003-04-18Degree:DoctorType:Dissertation
Country:ChinaCandidate:D X SunFull Text:PDF
GTID:1116360062486499Subject:Scientific Socialism and the international communist movement
Abstract/Summary:PDF Full Text Request
Interest group refers to the organized social groups that have common interests or goals and influence government policy. It is a special form of organization which differs from political party and which influences public policies and involves the public joining. It is both the product of the "political compromise" of America and the real reason that decides the compromising politics of the U.S. Compared with other western countries, the American nation is one that loves organizing themselves into various groups. America is the country with the most interest groups.In all other western countries, the making of government laws and policies is influenced by the effort of interest groups. But the status of interest groups and the degree to which they influence government are far lower than in the U.S. This is the striking feature of the American politics. To understand American politics, we should not only focus our attention on government, political parties or public opinions; we should also pay attention to interest groups. To understand the foreign and domestic policies, neither should we only notice the activities of government, we should also keep a watch on the activities of interest groups.The first part is an analysis of the subject. It starts with realizing the interest groups of the U.S. It first studies the nature of interest groups, the relation between interest group and political parties, interest groups and the public, the emergence, development of interest groups, the types of interest groups. It is found that people have various terms for "interest groups" such as pressure groups and lobbying groups. But what can reflect its nature is the term "interest groups". Interest group is an political organization which differs either from political parties or from ordinary public group. Interest group has a long history in America. It started before the U.S was founded. After that, its development has undergone four tides. Every big development of interest groups is closely related to big social reform or great historical events. Interest groups can be classified into various types. According to the aim of their activities, this dissertation divides them into four types: economic interest group, social, political right interest group, public interest group and the one seeking other aims.The second and third parts are the main body of this dissertation. These two parts analyze the interaction between interest groups and American government from a macro-level. They mainly examine the interactive processes between interest groups andthe Congress, interest groups and the Executive, interest groups and the Supreme Court. Findings show that the plurality of interests forces various interest groups to be engaged in a kind of complicated continuous negotiation and constantly make compromises respectively centering on their own interests. In order to influence government policy, interest groups usually adopt direct technique, indirect technique influencing election, litigation strategies and so on to exert influence on Congress, the Executive and Court. There exists a kind of interdependent and mutually restricting relationship between interest groups and congressional members, interest groups and the Executive branch, particularly, the degree of interdependence between interest groups and Congress is greater. "Groups need Congress; Congress also needs Groups" Interest groups would lobby Congress and the Executive while there also exist a reverse lobbying in which Congress and the Executive directly lobby each other or lobby the other through interest groups. The lobbying of interest groups is closely related to the power shift of Congress and the Executive. And so is government policy making and the degree to which interest groups are concerned with their interests (including material and non-material interests). Before 1930s, Congress is the power center of American politics. Interest groups mainly focus their lobbying on Congress. After the Rosevelt's New Deal in 1930s, the Executive branch of pre...
Keywords/Search Tags:interest groups, political interaction, lobbying, government policy making
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