According to the theory of pluralism, what role do interest groups play in shaping government policy? Does the theory assume that one set of interests dominates over others in this process?
What will be an ideal response?
An ideal response will:
1. Explain that pluralism is based on the notion that government is heavily influenced by the demands of interest groups and that this interest group participation benefits democratic government.
2. Discuss the process by which groups compete with each other. Given that the political system is open, groups are able to form and compete with one another, and government decisions reflect the balance of competing interests.
3. Note that the theory does not assume that one set of interests is always dominant, nor does it assume that all groups participate equally. Rather, the political system isopen to all kinds of interests, with public sentiment being reasonably well represented in accordance with the activities of each group.
You might also like to view...
"The goods and services affordable to and available to the residents of a nation" is a definition of
a. standard of living. b. gross domestic product. c. inflation. d. income distribution. e. net annual trade rate.
Single subject designs are useful because they
a) allow for an in-depth examination of specific behaviors. b) are used when the behavior on which the researcher is focusing is not very well defined in operational terms. c) allow for random assignment of participants into groups. d) have no threats to internal validity.