SPECIAL INTERESTS GROUPS

Special Interests Groups and Political Participation

Special Interests Groups and Political Participation

There are many Special Interest Groups involved in the democratic process of the country. The view about the influence these Special Interest Groups create is that their attempts are biased to their special interest and the interests of their clients. (Thomas, Hrebenar, 1990) Unfortunately, the influence of the most well funded interest groups overshadows even the most well intentioned under funded interest groups. This study will focus on one special interest group that certainly is biased to the civil liberties of the public in general, and does not have the greatest of funds as backing but does have the ingenuity to get their voice heard. The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) is a public interest research center in Washington, D.C. (EPIC 2003 annual report). The main aspects that will be reviewed are the special interest that EPIC represents, how EPIC encourages participation in the democratic process, how EPIC educates the public and the government on the issues at hand, and the impact that EPIC has had on policy making. Finally, a look at the financial impact to the general public if any at all.

The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) was established in 1994 to focus public attention on emerging civil liberties issues and to protect privacy, freedom of expression and constitutional values in the information age. (EPIC 2003 annual report). EPIC represents the civil liberties of electronic and internet users, individuals whose personal and Automated health care records (EPIC 2003 annual report) that are stored and transmitted electronically, and all persons that are affected by the vast electronic information society. The electronic and internet resources that are represented include data protection, telephone tapping, genetic databases, ID systems and freedom of information laws. (EPIC 2003 annual report). The primary demographic that EPIC targets are users of the

According to Sarah McCally Morehouse and Harmon Zeigler, both of whom wrote in the early 1980s, Washington, D.C. at the time had strong political parties but weak interest groups. The mission of EPIC is that, since then, Washington, D.C. has become one of those rare states with both powerful parties and interest groups. Over the last decade, the political parties in the state have become less dominant and interest groups have become stronger. As a result, Washington, D.C. now has many interest groups competing vigorously with one another and with the political parties over the course of public policy.

To understand the relationship between the political parties and the interest groups, it is useful, first, to look at some of the things that are distinctive about Washington, D.C. State as an environment for interest-group activity. Then some important aspects of the Washington, D.C. interest-group system, including the number, variety, and types of interest groups active in the state and the nature of government regulation of groups

It is difficult to appreciate the economic, social, and cultural diversity of Washington, D.C. State. Washington, D.C., the nation's one of the most important state, is the home ...