Abraham Lincoln defined democracy as, “government for the people, of the people, by the people.” In essence, people participation is the core of the democratic system of government. One way to participate politically is by joining interest groups, which seek to pursue and protect its’ members and in some cases, public interests. They seek to influence policies of government along these interests. One way interest groups contribute to the democratic process is through campaign funding for a particular candidate who they believe will uphold their ideals and protect their interests. Such funding could have an undue influence on policy making; which may not always be in the best interest of the whole democratic system.
The first issue is pluralism; advocates for interest groups regard this as beneficial to democracy but is actually a flaw. Robert Dahl argued that in a pluralist society, the battles over public policy by the varied groups that emerge to represent their members will produce a consensus that serves the public’s common interest; meaning the conflicting interest groups would balance out one another, hence achieving a greater good for the …show more content…
The government should, in turn, be responsive to the people and seek to achieve the greater good for the people. When government officials protect the interests of a minority as opposed to the majority of the citizens, are not responsive, or fail to perform the duties which they were elected for, then the democratic process is flawed. Interest groups are indeed a sure way to participate politically, however, their influence on policy making should be limited by placing less emphasis on campaign funding and contributions; this would go a long way in protecting the future of American democracy from being swayed by self-serving
The first issue is pluralism; advocates for interest groups regard this as beneficial to democracy but is actually a flaw. Robert Dahl argued that in a pluralist society, the battles over public policy by the varied groups that emerge to represent their members will produce a consensus that serves the public’s common interest; meaning the conflicting interest groups would balance out one another, hence achieving a greater good for the …show more content…
The government should, in turn, be responsive to the people and seek to achieve the greater good for the people. When government officials protect the interests of a minority as opposed to the majority of the citizens, are not responsive, or fail to perform the duties which they were elected for, then the democratic process is flawed. Interest groups are indeed a sure way to participate politically, however, their influence on policy making should be limited by placing less emphasis on campaign funding and contributions; this would go a long way in protecting the future of American democracy from being swayed by self-serving