Politics Essay: Pressure Groups

Why are some pressure groups more successful than others?

‘Success’ with pressure groups is measured by the groups capability to affect government policy, push an issue up the political agenda and the ability to change people’s values, perceptions and behaviour. To achieve these powers, it is considered that a pressure group needs wealth, size, organization and good leadership.

Wealth gives pressure groups large financial and economic power. This means that the government must seek their cooperation, regardless of their ideological beliefs. Business groups are the most powerful of all of these as they are the main source of employment and investment. Because the governments listen to them, they have successfully achieved the ability to affect government policy.

Size is also an important factor. Large pressure groups can claim to represent public opinion, for example groups such as NSPCC ensure that their membership levels remain above 1 million. This also causes governments to listen to them, as their members could have an electoral impact. On the other hand, the groups aims or goals would need to be sympathised with by the Government for if they clashed then the group would be consigned to the status of an ideological outsider. Ideological outsiders have little chance of changing government policy in the short term. Large groups, therefore, do have a high chance of affecting government policy, but only if they also have aims that the government agree with.

Large groups can, however, gain the financial and economic power as more members means more subscriptions and donations. This means that large groups are more often than not wealthy groups as well. This has lead to the creation of many chequebook groups which aim to achieve mass membership but leave campaigning in the hands of full-time professionals. 90% of Greenpeace’s total income comes from its members.

Large groups also have ideological power as large memberships allow groups to organize political campaigns and protests. From this they can rally support, raise awareness and eventually, change peoples ideologies to lean towards their causes or interests.

Organization ties into size for organization helps groups to mobilize their resources effectively and to take concerted action. Therefore, they can gain members strategically and quicker and take political action quickly and effectively. This means that organization can help groups to reach their aims of affecting policy and changing peoples ideologies,

However, to have good organization, groups tend to be wealth and have financial resources. It can also help to have good leadership. Good leaders have acute political skills, good political contacts and a high public profile. This can help them to affect government policy, possibly push issues up the political agenda and the public profile will help them gain more ideological power.

Overall larger and wealthier groups have more policy making and agenda setting power. These are aided by organization and good leadership. The power for policy making and agenda setting is what makes pressure groups more successful as they can achieve their aims easier.