POLI 330N Week 3 Discussion: Pros and Cons of Interest Groups,
and Corporations (Option 1)
Hello Everyone!
• Option 1: What are the pros and cons of lobbyists as a tool for special interest groups?
Should former members of Congress be allowed to become lobbyists? Explain your
answer.
Interest groups are formed by people or firms that share an interest or cause that they are trying
to protect or advance with the help of government (Greenburg & Page, 2018). Examples of
interest groups include the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People also
known as the NAACP, The National Organization for Women and many more. Many interest
groups use lobbyist to get support from the government. Lobbyists are professional advocates
that work to influence political decisions on behalf of individuals and organizations (What is a
Lobbyist, n.d.). When it comes to using lobbyist for support, there can be some pros and cons,
which are listed below.
Pros
1. Raises awareness
2. Increases interest in politics
When it comes to raising awareness, lobbyist is a great tool. Many people in government are not
aware of things like poor living conditions, and small discriminations against minorities. Having
a lobbyist is helping to provide a bigger voice to raise awareness on those problems. Lobbyist
can also help increase interest in politics. Many times, lobbyist have a background in politics and
that will get people in the interest group to learn more about what goes on in the government.
That is important because increase in political awareness can decrease the use of extreme
movements that can be detrimental in society.
Cons
1. Lobbyist can get too cocky
2. They can be unethical
The con in the first bullet is significant because some lobbyists feel that it is their way or no way. When
that happens, they can start demanding way too much from the government. At that point, it seems that
they are only looking out for themselves and not the interest group. The second bullet point is a con
because some lobbyists try to get favoritism from policy makers. The way they can do that is by offering
a policy maker a reward to consider their cause over another.
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and Corporations (Option 1)
Hello Everyone!
• Option 1: What are the pros and cons of lobbyists as a tool for special interest groups?
Should former members of Congress be allowed to become lobbyists? Explain your
answer.
Interest groups are formed by people or firms that share an interest or cause that they are trying
to protect or advance with the help of government (Greenburg & Page, 2018). Examples of
interest groups include the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People also
known as the NAACP, The National Organization for Women and many more. Many interest
groups use lobbyist to get support from the government. Lobbyists are professional advocates
that work to influence political decisions on behalf of individuals and organizations (What is a
Lobbyist, n.d.). When it comes to using lobbyist for support, there can be some pros and cons,
which are listed below.
Pros
1. Raises awareness
2. Increases interest in politics
When it comes to raising awareness, lobbyist is a great tool. Many people in government are not
aware of things like poor living conditions, and small discriminations against minorities. Having
a lobbyist is helping to provide a bigger voice to raise awareness on those problems. Lobbyist
can also help increase interest in politics. Many times, lobbyist have a background in politics and
that will get people in the interest group to learn more about what goes on in the government.
That is important because increase in political awareness can decrease the use of extreme
movements that can be detrimental in society.
Cons
1. Lobbyist can get too cocky
2. They can be unethical
The con in the first bullet is significant because some lobbyists feel that it is their way or no way. When
that happens, they can start demanding way too much from the government. At that point, it seems that
they are only looking out for themselves and not the interest group. The second bullet point is a con
because some lobbyists try to get favoritism from policy makers. The way they can do that is by offering
a policy maker a reward to consider their cause over another.
This study source was downloaded by 100000829957125 from CourseHero.com on 02 -14-2022 22:23:05 GMT -06:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/95086393/week-3-discussion-political-sciencedocx/
