Interest Group Lobbying: Canada and the United States

Political theory usually assumes that interest groups play an essential role in democratic polities, provid ing an instrument through which the individual may partici pate to some extent in the making of public policy. Such groups synthesize, express and provide technical and ideological support for collective social demands which provide critical inputs into the political subsystem. Despite these contributions, interest groups are often regarded as both normatively and operationally marginal. Using cross- national survey data on interest group lobbying, the present study shows that group activities are common in two political systems. Regardless of variations in political culture and political structure and despite variations in group legitimacy and the intensity of lobbying, groups play a critical linkage role, bringing into concert the private and public sectors of North American society.