What is an interest group, and what makes one effective?

What is an interest group, and what makes one effective? What are the different strategies interest groups use to influence each branch of government?

An interest group is a group of people who have similar interest and who devise strategies to influence the government to protect their interests. Interest groups can have different sizes, techniques used to influence government and different goals.

Interest groups can be more effective if they are naturally formed. I mean that different participants of the interest group believe in the aims of the group and are on the same page with each other. Another quality that an interest group should have be more successful is to know techniques of political lobbying (“interest group | political science”) and generate resource to serve their purpose of lobbying. An interest group should also know how to generate finances to help them in the financial matters related to their lobbying and other social activities like seminars, workshops and awareness walks.

Interest groups use many strategies to influence government institutions. Following are a few:

1. Interest groups need to be able to plan strategically. They need to gather as much information about their interest as possible. Then they need to analyze this information and know their exact aims and different ways they can achieve these specific aims.
2. They must be able to identify who to contact and how in order to be able to run successful lobbying.
3. The representative of the interest group might get very little time with the person who can help them in their cause. Therefor the representative need to be fully prepared and able to convey their message smoothly and quickly.
4. The interest group should identify the previous employees of specific government institutions who can help them get into the institution and convey their message.

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