{"id":46,"date":"2025-08-07T20:22:40","date_gmt":"2025-08-07T20:22:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/routledgelearning.com\/politicsuk\/?p=46"},"modified":"2025-10-10T11:09:58","modified_gmt":"2025-10-10T11:09:58","slug":"chapter-11","status":"publish","type":"content","link":"https:\/\/routledgelearning.com\/politicsuk\/part-3-the-representative-process\/chapter-11\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 11"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n\tHome\n<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Chapter 11<\/h1>\n\n\n

Pressure groups<\/em><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Chapter Summary<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Pressure groups seek to influence policy and not control it. \u2018Insider\u2019 groups, which have won acceptance by government, have traditionally had a privileged position compared with \u2018outsider\u2019 groups on the periphery, which tend to use high-profile techniques that serve to disguise their lack of real influence. Business groups seek to influence through the CBI and other channels, while trade unions have lost much power since 1979. Theoretical approaches include pluralism, corporatism and Marxism. The professional lobbying of Parliament and government has raised questions of democracy and legality, but the creation of a register for lobbyists is an inadequate response. On balance, pressure group influence has probably waned since 1979 but some groups, concerned with environmental and animal issues, have increased their influence and membership. Perhaps a shift has occurred in the way pressure groups interact with government, with widely based popular movements now placing government under a kind of intense pressure it is loath to ignore.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Learning Objectives<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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  • To explain that formal democratic government structures conceal the myriad hidden contacts between government and organised interests.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • To analyse and explain the way in which groups are organised and operate.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • To take account of the development and impact of disruptive direct action campaigns<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • To introduce some familiarity with theories regarding this area of government interaction with the governed.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • To analyse some issues connected with lobbying by pressure groups, including their impact on democracy.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • To provide some specific examples of pressure group activity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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    Quizzes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Test your knowledge with the Chapter 11 quizzes!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Quiz<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n