Interest Group

An Interest Group is an organization or group that uses various forms of advocacy to influence public opinion and policy.

AKA: Advocacy Group, Pressure Group.
Context:
- It can range from being a Sectional Group to being a Cause Group.
- It can range from being an Insider Group to being an Outsider Group.
Example(s):
- a Special Interest Group,
- a Political Interest Group,
Counter-Example(s):
See: Social Media, Advocacy, Lobbying, Public Opinion, Policy, Politics, Religious, Morality, Commerce, Methods Used by Advocacy Groups, Consciousness Raising, Publicity Stunt.

References

(Wikipedia, 2021) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advocacy_group Retrieved:2021-11-13.
- Advocacy groups, also known as interest groups, special interest groups or pressure groups use various forms of advocacy in order to influence public opinion and ultimately policy. They play an important role in the development of political and social systems. Motives for action may be based on political, religious, moral, or commercial positions. Groups use varied methods to try to achieve their aims, including lobbying, media campaigns, awareness raising publicity stunts, polls, research, and policy briefings. Some groups are supported or backed by powerful business or political interests and exert considerable influence on the political process, while others have few or no such resources. Some have developed into important social, political institutions or social movements. Some powerful advocacy groups have been accused of manipulating the democratic system for narrow commercial gain and in some instances have been found guilty of corruption, fraud, bribery, and other serious crimes; Some groups, generally ones with less financial resources, may use direct action and civil disobedience and in some cases are accused of being a threat to the social order or 'domestic extremists'. Research is beginning to explore how advocacy groups use social media to facilitate civic engagement and collective action.

(Wikipedia, 2021) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classification_of_advocacy_groups Retrieved:2021-11-13.
- An advocacy group is a group or an organization that tries to influence the government but does not hold power in the government. Advocacy groups are generally classified according to two broad typologies: their core aims (group–cause typology), and their relationship to government (insider–outsider typology).