Government and pressure groups in Britain

Abstract

What is the role of pressure groups in political systems? How are these groups formed, and why have they multiplied so dramatically in the 20th century? This book is concerned with the historical background to the relationship between government and pressure groups, as well as with the operation of pressure politics in Britain today. The authors begin by examining the pluralist and corporatist traditions, and move on to an assessment of how pressure groups function. They argue that consultation with pressure groups is important in British policy-making, and that political decisions are made not only in the world of voters, political parties, and Parliament, but also in the second channel of democracy - ministers, pressure groups, and government departments. Finally, the authors focus on potential channels of influence open to interest groups, and the relationship between these groups and Parliament, especially the New Select Committees. Althought they provide thorough coverage of the principal theories of groups, the authors' emphasis is on how decisions are taken, and they illustrate their discussion with numerous examples.