Question

Write the meaning of pressure groups.

Answer 1

Hint: Politics is a study of power. In a democracy, power resides in multiple points like political parties, NGOs and pressure groups. Policy making is therefore not just in the hands of the government but is also influenced by outside agents like pressure groups and political parties.

Complete Answer: Pressure groups are collectives of people who have a common interest or a cause. These are organized associations that aim to influence the policies of the government. They do not contest elections but influence the government from the outside through legal and legitimate methods like lobbying, correspondence, publicity, propagandising, petitioning, public debating, maintaining contacts with their legislators and so forth. There are mostly two types of pressure groups. They are:
1)Sectional groups : These groups promote the interest of its members and represent a particular section of the society.
2)Promotional groups : These are public interest groups who work for the cause of the larger society and not just its members.
Trade union(Hind Mazdoor Sabha, Centre of Indian Trade Unions), agrarian groups (Bharatiya Kisan Union , All India Kisan Sabha), student’s association are some examples of Pressure groups.

Note: One should note that there is a slight difference between pressure groups and interest groups. Interest groups are groups that have a shared interest but are not necessarily concerned with influencing politics. However pressure groups are always more politically involved than interest groups. Again, pressure groups are different from social movements as social movements are larger in scale and more spontaneous than pressure groups.