Interest Group

**IMPORTANT**. It must be clear to me that you have addressed each of the specific requirements in your response. Thus, you need to think about how to organize your essay. The simplest method is to use the numbers and letters (i.e., 1, 2, 3a, 3b, 3b) below to show your response to each requirement.

1.Through your research, identify a specific interest group that you feel has been relatively successful in achieving its goals. You may choose to focus on a group discussed in the assigned material, but you will still be expected to do your research on the group.

2.Provide a summary of the groups’ primary interests and activities (i.e., what are the group’s objectives and how does it go about achieving those objectives). It is okay to cut-and-paste from the group’s website, but if you do, use quotation marks to indicate direct copying of material, and provide a citation/link.

3.Answer the following three questions (you can answer the questions in essay format, or you may cut-and-paste each question, and provide your response under each question):

a. Whether or not you agree or support the group’s objectives, do you feel the group is engaged in the legitimate activity? In other words, does the interest group have a right to exist (in a democracy)? Explain your answer.

b. Whether or not you agree or support the group’s objectives, do you think there are more viable ways to pursue its objectives in the context of a democratic political system? That is, is there a reasonable alternative to interests groups? Explain your answer.

b. Finally, discuss the tradeoffs involved when interest groups in general, and the interest group you selected, become a primary means of affecting public policy.