Political Parties and Interest Groups
Many political analyst and scientist view the legislative branch of government as a primary institution that structures the conflict of interests and demands expressed by political parties as well as other political oriented groups in the society.
From this perspective, the more important questions of politics are in terms of the organization and behavior of these groups, which find in a parliament or legislative assembly a means of formalizing their political, economic and social claims on one another. Especially from the standpoint of group theory, a bill passed by the legislature expresses simply the prevailing distribution of influence among competing groups or parties, each of them seeking to advance their own particular interests and objectives.
It is appropriate to ask, then about the kinds of interests represented by these groups, the characteristics of their leadership, membership, organization, strategies and tactics for influencing public policies and the nature of their access to decision makers. In the case of political parties, how are their membership, political access and policies structured by electoral system by their role in the parliament or legislature and by their majority or minority position in the parliament and executive branches of the government?
To what extend are the electoral supporters of the various political parties drawn from the same or from different socioeconomic categories in the community or society? Do their policies and programs differ? What are the career patterns of their leaders? How frequently and under what circumstances, do they alternate with the other groups in controlling or influencing the parliament and executive process - at all levels of government i.e. federal, state and localities, and how does their influence vary from one one issue to another?
With regard to the groups themselves, also should ask how they make decisions, how they select their leaders, how they recruit new members, how they raise funds and to what extent power is concentrated or diffused throughout the organization hierarchy.
Answers to these last questions are likely to vary according to the timing of elections and the prominence of particular issues in government and in the public mind.
From this perspective, the more important questions of politics are in terms of the organization and behavior of these groups, which find in a parliament or legislative assembly a means of formalizing their political, economic and social claims on one another. Especially from the standpoint of group theory, a bill passed by the legislature expresses simply the prevailing distribution of influence among competing groups or parties, each of them seeking to advance their own particular interests and objectives.
It is appropriate to ask, then about the kinds of interests represented by these groups, the characteristics of their leadership, membership, organization, strategies and tactics for influencing public policies and the nature of their access to decision makers. In the case of political parties, how are their membership, political access and policies structured by electoral system by their role in the parliament or legislature and by their majority or minority position in the parliament and executive branches of the government?
To what extend are the electoral supporters of the various political parties drawn from the same or from different socioeconomic categories in the community or society? Do their policies and programs differ? What are the career patterns of their leaders? How frequently and under what circumstances, do they alternate with the other groups in controlling or influencing the parliament and executive process - at all levels of government i.e. federal, state and localities, and how does their influence vary from one one issue to another?
With regard to the groups themselves, also should ask how they make decisions, how they select their leaders, how they recruit new members, how they raise funds and to what extent power is concentrated or diffused throughout the organization hierarchy.
Answers to these last questions are likely to vary according to the timing of elections and the prominence of particular issues in government and in the public mind.
