An
interest group (also
advocacy group,
lobby group,
pressure group or
special interest group) is an organized collection of people who seek to influence political decisions.
Sectional groups represent the interests of their members. They include
In the course of representing the interest of their members these groups are often active participants in the political process. They may have both well defined political agendas and the financial resources necessary to exert broad influence on the political and regulatory process; utilizing direct lobbying, letter-writing campaigns, and voter turnout efforts during elections.
Promotional or single-issue groups (cause or attitude groups) seek to influence policy in a particular area, such as the environment (Greenpeace), gun laws (National Rifle Association), the protection of birds (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds), or animal rights (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals). These tend to be aligned toward a political ideology or seek influence in specific policy areas.
