Special Interests Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 2

Special Interests - Essay Example These interest groups lobby the members within legislative bodies so that the work domains are bolstered for the sake of the political parties. They play their role at bringing about those politicians to power who will understand their cause and hence have a sense of empathy for what they are raising their voice for. These interest groups also carry out secret activities so that certain work areas can be targeted. Having said so, these interest groups have the knack of competing within open propaganda areas where such campaigns are an everyday norm. Since the discussion centers on these interest groups, the need is to comprehend the different types of these interest groups. Firstly, there are the economic interest groups which take into account the varied trade unions, the diverse chambers of commerce and industries and a few other religious groups. These interest groups also bring with them some professional associations which include within them skilled workers like doctors, archit ects, lawyers and other professionals who are making their mark. The third type is comprised of the public interest groups which includes individuals who are essentially the friends of the environment and are playing their dire role within the uplifting of the living standards of the people. The fourth and last is a special interest group which is more of a subgroup which forms under the auspices of a larger group and has a much narrowed down interest area. It is a fact that these interest groups attempt to do their best in terms of defending the status quo as well as to sustain the same over a time period. For this reason, these interest groups are held in separate vein from the pressure groups which exist within the fore of any society in this day and age (Wilcox, 2005). Since these interest groups have a particular definition behind their institution, their supporters openly raise their voice every now and then. They believe staunchly in the existence of these interest groups whi ch is an interesting proposition since they represent these interest groups and would go to any limit to tell people to come and join a common cause. For this reason, some people believe that these interest groups are instituted to serve a hidden agenda, which may or may not be true at all times. This is because their mannerisms are quite strange to state the least and hence many opinions do come about by the people within a community or society concern (Cigler, 2011). To quote a couple of examples, some of the more renowned interest groups include the ASH which serves as a legal action arm within the nonsmoking community. It aims to bring or join within different legal actions that concern smoking as well as guaranteeing towards the fact that the voice of the nonsmoker is always heard loud and clear. The nonsmokers’ rights movement is taken care of by ASH in essence. In addition, GLAAD promotes and suggests an equality basis in terms of fair, accurate and inclusive depiction of people as well as events within the different media forms (Pallotta, 2012). The mission behind GLAAD is to do away with homophobia and discrimination basis towards sexual orientation and gender identity. 2. Discuss the relationship between interest groups and political parties. The relationship that exists between interest groups and political parties is a source of inspiration as far as the undertakings of the interest groups

Corruption and Integrity Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Corruption and Integrity - Research Paper Example Its major religion is Islam (Sunni) with an estimated literacy rate of 38% (http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107979.html). Somalia is located in the Horn of Africa lying along the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. "It is bounded by Djibouti in the northwest, Ethiopia in the west, and Kenya in the southwest. In area it is slightly smaller than Texas. Generally arid and barren, Somalia has two chief rivers, the Shebelle and the Juba." According to records, in the years January 1991 until August 2000, it had no stable government. "A fragile parliamentary government was formed in 2000, but it expired in 2003 without establishing control of the country. In 2004, a new transitional parliament was instituted and elected a president" (http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107979.html). Somalia has a GDP/PPP approximately $5.575 billion with a per capita of $600. Its real growth rate is 2.6% and there is no inflation rate record because "businesses print their own money". Despite its vast land area, it has only an arable land of 2% that is produces bananas, sorghum, corn, coconuts, rice, sugarcane, mangoes, sesame seeds, beans; cattle, sheep, goats; and fish. Its labor force is 3.7 million with very few are skilled laborers (http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107979.html).. Sharing the rank of second most corrupt country with Myanmar is Iraq. ... Its major religion is Islam. Its major source of income is oil with very little agriculture due to its vast desert land (http://www.infoplease.com/country/profiles/iraq.html). Iraq maintains a constitutional democracy with a federal system of government. "The executive branch is made up of the Presidency Council (one president, two deputy presidents) and a Council of Ministers (one prime minister, two deputy prime ministers, and 34 cabinet ministers)." Its legislative branch is made up of an elected Council of Representatives and a Federation Council. There are 275 members of the Council of Representatives. The judicial branch is independent (http://www.infoplease.com/country/profiles/iraq.html). On the other hand, Denmark shares the least corrupt country with New Zealand and Sweden. Its government is parliamentary, headed by a Queen and a Prime Minister. Its industrialized market economy is based on materials imported through foreign trade maintaining a liberal trade policy within the European Union. About 1% of its gross national product (GNP) is given to foreign aid to less developed countries. This is only a manifestation that Danish economy is high and stable. In addition, all citizens of Denmark receive basic health care and real poverty is out of place in this country (http://www.infoplease.com/country/profiles/denmark.html). Denmark is an active member of International Organizations such as the: United Nations; NATO; the EU; Nordic cooperation; the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund; the World Trade Organization (WTO); the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE); the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD); the Council of