Representing People through Interest Groups and Political Parties
Interest groups and political parties differ when it comes to their primary focus and interests. A political party is a group of people who have come together to obtain and practice political power. Interest groups, on the other hand, are private organizations where members share common views. As such, interest groups do a better job representing the people than political parties for various reasons.
Political parties help in amending, making, and preserving public rules for their people. Their main aim is to resolve conflicts on behalf of the people. They play the role of gatekeepers by regulating the flow of inputs into a country’s political system. Political parties are, however, characterized by rivalry, competition, different opinions, and interests. Diversity and scarcity of resources are what make conflicts inevitable (Heywood, 2019, p. 4). Many people believe that political parties are biased and impartial—most of them are seen to be deceitful, disruptive, and full of manipulation. For these reasons, I believe that political parties do not represent people effectively. They do not have people’s needs at heart.
On the contrary, interest groups influence government decision-making and work together to shape public policy. Interest groups create awareness about issues concerning the citizens of a country. They also follow different public agencies and government officials to ensure their interests have been met. For instance, in Canada, interest groups have been communicating with the government more directly than political parties. They have also been providing rival political parties with a learning experience in competing issues.
Despite competing for influence, both interest groups and political parties work together. Their main aim is to represent the interest of the people. However, politicians have made up the largest part of political parties. There is too much politics that sometimes comes with violence and conflicts (Heywood, 2019, p. 19). Political parties are then disrupted from their main objective. On the other hand, interest groups are made up of people with a common goal and interests, which makes them achieve more and do a better job representing people.
