1. Introduction
Powerful interest groups compel the government to act is the main proponent of the interest group theory of politics[1]. The interest groups in America have amassed vast resources in which they exert their opinions onto those that are in power. Interest groups influence individual political actors, the political parties, news media and the government. They create social movements to mobilize people to support their point of view. America has a multiparty system however, it is these interest groups that focus on the two most known political parties in the country, the Democrats and the Republicans. They do this by providing support via campaign donations and the such to be able to execute the interest of these groups. Not only do they funnel money into the hands of the politicians and parties but they also campaign against those in society to which that are against their objectives. When interest groups are referred to herein, it means groups such as business, unions, education etc. These groups as mentioned obtain tax breaks, subsidies, exclusive legislation etc. from the government resulting from their support of political parties and their campaigns.
2. Topic Summary
The structural functional approach attempts to explain the structure of government through theory. It says that states such as the government of America has a structure and this structure has functions. Sociology attempts to define structure as patterns of behavior that persist over time and history[2]. It can be, “highly useful and practical when used as a foundation for systemic analysis of real-world, multi-layered, complex planning systems[3],” such as the government. With this in mind, the formation of the American government structure through the treaty of Westphalia, has sovereignty over its citizens where it functions to meet their needs such as protect them from threats such as crime. The Treaty of Westphalia is an international treaty which defines states. It says that states have a government that has legal authority over a population within a geographical location[4]. Some common manifestations of the government structure include and are not limited to bureaucracies, government agencies, executive, legislatures and judiciaries. These structures all take in information from the environment and output policy. This is where and why the interest groups seek to support political parties so that policy that is made can be beneficial to its cause. The domestic environment provides the government with inputs such as voting, strikes, riots, boycotting etc. Interest groups also seek to mobilize the people as mentioned via social movements so that their interest of the collective lines with the interest of these groups.
The structures of the American government have process functions which are as follows, interest articulation, interest aggregation, policy making and policy implementation[5]. Interest articulation is voicing demands while interest aggregation is identifying which of the demands can be filled. Policy making is the process whereby the government makes regulation based on demand and resources available. Finally, policy implementation is the enforcing of policy. The aforementioned is how the government creates and changes policy for the public. It therefore becomes important to understand the government structure when analyzing the actions of interest groups as the structural functional theory provides an explanation for which the basis of the government comes to be. Through breaking down the government structure, it becomes evident which parts of the structure interest groups seek to exploit for their own personal gains. Interest groups gain the attention of the masses via the media and social movements on the interest articulation stage while during interest aggregation and policy making stages, these interest groups fund political parties to represent their interest and lastly they await the government to enforce policy during the policy implementation stage.
3. Major Issues
The fact that interest groups seek to reduce their odds of loosing is why American politics is focused on two parties. Having more parties to select from reduces the chances that any one party will win the presidency, thus less opportunities for interest groups to get what they want out of politics. America is a multi party system. There is the Libertarian Party, the Conservative Party and the Socialist Workers Party[6] amongst others. If these parties are included in a significant way in these elections, the odds at which interest groups can support a winner would be reduced. This is because there are more parties. Interest groups in a multi party system would thus have to divide support rather than consolidating it to one party. However, parties are forced to accept a wide net of inputs from more interest groups in which they must consider. Parties must appeal to wider demographics so they can ascertain the support of multiple interest groups. In other words, parties are then forced to be, “Catch all” parties in which they appeal to a broad spectrum of interest groups for their one cause of possibly ascertaining the American presidency.
There are numerous examples in which interest groups have influence over politics. The examples described herein provide a glimpse on the problems politics experiences with interest groups. What the issue seems to be is that these interest groups often at the expense of the taxpayer, seek to implement policy via politicians so that they may continue to reap the benefits of the government.
The Military Industrial Complex is a prime example in which the interest of the American citizen was not of utmost importance, rather the profiting of the arms industry was. Eisenhower mentioned in a speech that there was a coop between the military, the government, and weapons/ arms industry. This coop apparently was influencing the government to cause the USA to be in war. It is widely known that President George W. Bush was heavily invested in the industry of weapons. Citizens especially President Trump said, “They lied. They said there were weapons of mass destruction. There were none, and they knew there were none”[7]. It became clear that the Americans were in Iraq because of its oil reserves. When Americans discovered that there were no weapons of mass destruction, they were infuriated as countless amounts of soldiers had died and unnecessary resources were sent to a foreign country with taxpayer money. Despite this, the Military Industrial Complex profited handsomely from this war.
The NRA stands for the National Rifle Association. They have more than five million members and they lobby the government of America for gun policy. Al Gore received the antagonism of this interest group as a result of his gun policy which contradicted what the NRA had wanted. They mobilized causing Al Gore to lose Tennessee. The NRA is, “one of Washington's most powerful lobbies[8]”. During the 2000’s, Al Gore ran for president. During this period the NRA, “spent $20 million US on [an] aggressive political campaign it had undertaken to [conflict Gore][9].” The NRA intentionally aimed this campaign at Gore causing him to loose the election. To provide some context on why the NRA is so powerful, Americans have the ability to bear arms because the founding fathers wanted to prevent further British invasion. The NRA is a force that politicians want on their side as they are extremely influential.
On November 2008, an economic crisis was looming. The automotive industry was in financial disarray. Chrysler, Ford and GM were seeking $25 billion dollars from the government initially to avoid bankruptcy. The American government gave the automakers a bailout which, “[gave automakers in the USA] $80.7 billion last[ing] between December 2008 and December 2014[10]” The money to payout these companies obviously came from taxpayers. In a bid to protect the automakers, America needed to protect capitalism however they consistently neglect social support systems and health care. Many argued that these funds could have been used for these purposes so as to benefit the citizen. This example is consistent with America’s stance of protecting the economy. From the perspective of the American government, a strong economy does give people a better standard of living. However, it is still evident that in America social supports and health care are neglected. Many believe they need to revamp these as countries like the UK and Canada have implemented better systems which provide a more equitable life for their citizens. America is in a predicament in which they contemplate capitalism and the economy against social services and free health care.
With these examples, it becomes evident that the government of America is easily swayed and corrupted by interest groups. Political parties are consistently being influenced by large cash reserves which evidently reduce the equity of the American citizen.
4. Pro and Con Issues
The focus on two parties in America is very organized as political demands can be streamlined. The benefit of focusing on only two parties is that people are given a choice of supporting either or which therefore makes the voting process easier. It is more organized because if people have issues to be addressed, they can go to either party rather than selecting from numerous parties. This would give the citizen higher odds that his or her issue will be at least looked at in some way shape or form. If there were more parties, as in the multiparty system, there would be more people to deliberate which would reduce the ability of the government to zone in on specific matters. This arguing amongst political professionals can cause a lack of action as they debate amongst what should and should not happen.
The two-party focus in the American political system consolidates power. The interest groups in American politics focus on the Democrats and the Republicans so that power can be consolidated. This causes a more efficient government to take hold of office. Since the power is consolidated, there is more effective force to be able to mobilize for action. This would thus promote the government to implement policy in a quicker fashion. The fact that America has at least two parties is already respective of democracy. The government of the USA can be thought of as a machine when looking at it from the structural functional theory. The consolidation of this power is more centralized compared to the multiparty system as the power is concentrated to two parties. The failure of socialism is a result of the fragmentation of the agency and power of the governments that supported it. This caused these governments to be systematically inefficient and unable to implement policy. They were trying to please too many people and gave them too much power that it became unsustainable. With the focus on two parties in America, this problem is alleviated as the Democrats and the Republicans have more than enough support to be able to mobilize.
Multiparty states are inefficient. There are more parties for interest groups to select. Multiparty systems inhibit the ability for the government to focus on solving individual matters. It is because when an interest group selects a party to support, they take into account the risks and the likelihood that an individual is likely to win an election. In multiparty states interest groups have a wide array of parties to select from. This not only reduces the odds at which the interest group will get their way with politics but also fragments interest articulation. In a two party focused state as in the USA, problems that need to be addressed, pitched by interest groups could be proposed to either party. However, in multiparty states there are many to select from and not all will ascertain enough attention to have it sensationalized by the media. In the USA it is guaranteed that either the Democrats or the Republicans will reign victor which when looking at it from the theory of structural functionalism and proponent of interest articulation, it becomes evident that it is more likely that parties will receive these proposals which then have a higher likelihood of being sensationalized by them media because there are only two parties that are focused upon.
The American system could be corrupted more easily as there are only two parties that are focused on. This prevents the citizen from having options. For example, if the Republicans are corrupt, citizens only have the other party to go to. In a multiparty state corruption is more difficult because there are more parties checking each other which prevents corruption. Corruption can be defined as, “the abuse or misuse of power or trust for self-benefit rather than the purpose for which that power or trust was granted[11]”. With pertinence to political parties’ corruption can occur during the interest aggregation stage where political actors make promises to interest groups in exchange for their support. With interest groups corruption can occur during interest articulation when they lobby policy that is not fair and equitable to the population. Corruption, “inflicts substantial damage on people, society, and the world[12].”
The issue with the focus on two parties in America is the fact that other parties get overshadowed. This is even more perpetuated by the media who seems to ignore the other parties. There are benefits of having a multiparty system. The idea of think tanks is that there is a group of people and since there are more people, more innovative ideas can be generated. In multiparty systems these people can be thought of as parties. These parties all have different ideological stances which therefore increases the ability for the government to look at any one problem from multiple lenses. Through this, the government can then aggregate the demands of the people more competently. In other words, they will have more considerations for their citizens which explains why countries like Canada and the UK have more considerate social support systems and health care than their American counterparts.
5. Personal Observation
Political parties act to mobilize the government. They take the demands of people and compel the government to action. Political parties are part of the process to maintain the government structures integrity. They participate in political recruitment to bring fresh minds into politics. Political parties take input from the environment and then they convey these to the government who intern aggregates this into policy. This process is the very reason why governments exist. To clarify, political parties are a group of people with common opinions about how the government should be operated. Political parties often hold form policy according to their ideological position. These positions can be represented via the political spectrum from left most communism to right most fascism. As mentioned earlier, it is important to look at problems from many different lenses and this is the benefit of the multiparty system. Through deliberation and the consideration of many different perspectives, policy can be aggregated to meet the demands of a diverse people. However, in America it seems as though they are more concerned about efficiency. The approach in America bests the multiparty approach in a way that power can be consolidated. This power therefore allows the Democrats and the Republicans to mobilize more quickly as issues arise. Further, interest groups reduce the risk they have when funding political parties because they have less parties to speculate on. Through the American system, problems that interest groups have with the government are more likely to be sensationalized as it is basically guaranteed that either the one of two of the parties, the Democrats or the Republicans will win the election. Parties in multiparty states don’t always captivate the attention of the public therefore some parties may get overlooked and if an interest group has supported a party that is getting overlooked, they wasted their funds supporting that party because their issue wont be sensationalized. The problem with the focus on two parties in the USA is the fact that it is easier to be corrupted as there are less parties preforming checks and balances on each other. Political scientists are therefore given the choice to support efficiency or pluralism. Nevertheless, America is considered the hegemony and it is clear they are in that position because of the efficiency of their government however, as mentioned herein their lack of power-sharing amongst political parties has seriously hampered their ability to aggregate the diverse demands of their people causing policy let-downs such as the matter of social supports and health care when compared to other countries like Canada and the UK.
6. Conclusion
Interest groups are the catalyst by which governments mobilize to meet the demands of their people. Interest groups in America have significant influence and power over the political parties in power. Their influence causes political actors, the political parties, news media and the government to be flexible to their demands. America’s multiparty system supports the proponents of democracy. Their focus on the Democrats and the Republicans, however, give them the efficiency they need on the world stage to maintain hegemony but at the expense of equity. Interest groups affect the political process by which the government structure comes to make policy. In the process of interest aggregation these interest groups gather support to make large social movements while during the interest aggregation stage they fund political parties and political actors to compel the government to make policy supporting their stance. In short, politics in America is dependent on these factors which consistently transform the state into a modern powerhouse.
Allen Sens, Peter Stoett, “Global Politics Origins, Currents, Directions,” Thomson Nelson (2005)
Amadeo, K et al. (2020). Auto Industry Bailout. The balance. Retrieved from: https://www.thebalance.com/auto-industry-bailout-gm-ford-chrysler-3305670
G. Bingham Powel, Jr., Russel J. Dalton, “Comparative Politics Today,” Kaare Strom Pearson (2012)
Gitelson et al., “American Government,” Oxford University Press (2018)
Oliver Knox, “Trump says George W. Bush ‘lied’ to get U.S. into Iraq,” Yahoo (2016). Retrieved from: https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-george-w-bush-lied-1364681108684854.html
Philip Nichols et al. “Maximizing stakeholder trust as a tool for controlling corruption” Springer Link (2018) Vol 71 Issue 2 DOI: https://doi-org.ezproxy.kpu.ca:2443/10.1007/s10611-017-9767-2
Ross, P., American Government, Kwantlen Polytechnic University
Ruth Potts, et al. “Exploring the usefulness of structural- functional approaches to analyse governance of planning systems” Sage Journals (2014) Vol 15, Issue 2 DOI: https://doi-org.ezproxy.kpu.ca:2443/10.1177/1473095214553519
The editors of CBC. (2020). How the NRA, a powerful influence on American politics, found itself under attack. CBC. Retrieved from: https://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/the-passionate-eye/how-the-nra-a-powerful-influence-on-american-politics-found-itself-under-attack-1.5711235
William Little, “Introduction to Sociology, 2nd Canadian edition,” Hewlett Foundation (2016)
[1] Ross, P., American Government, Kwantlen Polytechnic University
[2] William Little, “Introduction to Sociology, 2nd Canadian edition,” Hewlett Foundation (2016) page 27
[3] Ruth Potts, et al. “Exploring the usefulness of structural- functional approaches to analyse governance of planning systems” Sage Journals (2014) Vol 15, Issue 2 DOI: https://doi-org.ezproxy.kpu.ca:2443/10.1177/1473095214553519
[4] Allen Sens, Peter Stoett, “Global Politics Origins, Currents, Directions,” Thomson Nelson (2005) page 46
[5] G. Bingham Powel, Jr., Russel J. Dalton, “Comparative Politics Today,” Kaare Strom Pearson (2012) page 37
[6] Gitelson et al., “American Government,” Oxford University Press (2018) page 211
[7] Oliver Knox, “Trump says George W. Bush ‘lied’ to get U.S. into Iraq,” Yahoo (2016). Retrieved from: https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-george-w-bush-lied-1364681108684854.html
[8] The editors of CBC. (2020). How the NRA, a powerful influence on American politics, found itself under attack. CBC. Retrieved from: https://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/the-passionate-eye/how-the-nra-a-powerful-influence-on-american-politics-found-itself-under-attack-1.5711235
[9] The editors of CBC. (2020). How the NRA, a powerful influence on American politics, found itself under attack. CBC. Retrieved from: https://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/the-passionate-eye/how-the-nra-a-powerful-influence-on-american-politics-found-itself-under-attack-1.5711235
[10] Amadeo, K et al. (2020). Auto Industry Bailout. The balance. Retrieved from: https://www.thebalance.com/auto-industry-bailout-gm-ford-chrysler-3305670
[11] Ruth Potts et al. “Exploring the usefulness of structural- functional approaches to analyse governance of planning systems” Sage Journals (2014) Vol 15, Issue 2 DOI: https://doi-org.ezproxy.kpu.ca:2443/10.1177/1473095214553519
[12] Philip Nichols et al. “Maximizing stakeholder trust as a tool for controlling corruption” Springer Link (2018) Vol 71 Issue 2 DOI: https://doi-org.ezproxy.kpu.ca:2443/10.1007/s10611-017-9767-2
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