WAEC Government 2012 Theory — Question 4

Model answer

(a) Pressure group is a group of people with the objectives of influencing government policies for the benefits of their members. (b) The following are the functions performed by pressure groups in a democratic state: I. Political education: Pressure groups in their bid to achieve their objectives of influencing government's policies often embark on awareness campaigns to sensitize the members of the public on issues relating to government policies. II. Constructive criticism: Pressure groups also play the role of watch dog in a democratic state. They offer constructive criticism on policies initiated and implemented by the government. III. Representation: They serve as a link between the people and then government and help to transmit, in some cases, the demands of the people to the government. IV. Pressure groups also serve as a check to the government. They help in identifying bad policies of government and criticising such policies. V. Some pressure groups, such as promotional pressure group, help in championing the causes of the public, thus, they render selfless service to the public. VI. One merit of pressure groups is that they help to articulate the demands of not only their members but also that of the general public, this is true of a promotional pressure group.