Society is a group of people who work for the mutual benefit of the people, such as religious, cultural, scientific, political, patriotic, or other purposes.
There are some group of people who works for the betterment of society and development, bring change among people and fight against many causes and freedom.
It is a general norm that businesses offer goods and services in exchange for money, and the government takes law and order.
Key Takeaways
- Pressure groups are organized groups of individuals who seek to influence public policy or decision-making in favor of their interests. At the same time, civil society refers to the collective of voluntary organizations, institutions, and individuals that operate independently of the government and private sector.
- Pressure groups focus on specific issues or causes, such as environmental protection or labor rights. In contrast, civil society encompasses various non-governmental entities, including charities, religious organizations, and social clubs.
- Pressure groups use lobbying, protests, and public campaigns to achieve their goals, while civil society contributes to social cohesion, public discourse, and the functioning of democratic systems.
Pressure Group vs Civil Society
The difference between a Pressure group and civil society is Pressure group is a group of people who tries to influence or pressure the government to fulfil the interest of its members. Civil society is a group or organization that works for citizens’ interests without involving the government.
Pressure groups and Civil society are also part of the community. A Pressure Group is a set of people, considered organized to some extent, to help reformation by influencing the government.
Civil society is a group of people working in the interest of the citizens. At the same time, they operate outside the government sectors.
Comparison Table
| Parameter of Comparison | Pressure Group | Civil Society |
|---|---|---|
| Structure | Membership organization | Mostly non-membership organization |
| Procedure | Conflict-oriented and instrumental reasoning | Mutual Consent Oriented and Constitutive Reasoning |
| Substantiation | Shares common interest | Ideational, Public Claims |
| Objective | To influence people who have the power to make a decision | To fight for the betterment of society |
| Function | To make government or decision-makers more attentive to the needs of the people | To work for Protection, Social cause, and Advocation in favour of the Public |
What is Pressure Group?
The term Pressure Group originated in the USA. A pressure group can be defined as a group of people that does not put up candidates for election but seek to influence government policy or legislation.
These groups promote and protect a particular interest or a set of goods or some ideals cause (protecting the environment and defending human rights, for example) by pressuring the government.
A pressure group is to influence the people in power to make decisions by the government through legal and legitimate methods. They operate as a bridge between the people and the government.
Pressure Groups always establish the positives and negatives in front of the members and the general public to seek attention from the government.
They organize meetings and campaigns and file petitions for public support and sympathy. At times, even the media is inclined to feature their campaigns for mass attraction.
They are different from the political parties as they neither contest in elections nor not try to capture political power, but their activism influences the Government’s decisions.
Pressure groups provide a means of popular participation in national politics during elections. They have the power to gather support to create or cancel any legislation.
The Pressure groups use strikes, bandhs, demonstrations, and funding political parties to fulfil their interests.
What is Civil Society?
Civil Society is a group that operates outside the government and shares mutual interests and purposes. Civil Society plays a vital role in the development of the human community.
The public and Private sectors are different from Civil Society. Civil society has no outside requirements like the public or private sector.
Civil Society, on the whole, can be a labour union, non-governmental organization and charitable institution.
They are filling gaps in services, providing services not provided adequately by the government or business, especially to marginalized and underserved groups.
We are fighting against corruption and human rights violation. Civil society differs from civil society organizations. It also focuses on social justice and economic justice decision.
Its primary function is keeping an eye on government and business, ever alert for corruption, waste, violations of rights, and inequalities.
UN Women to promote gender equality, women’s rights, and empowerment; World Health Organization (WHO) for health-related efforts and UNICEF on child-related issues are some of the Civil Society organizations.
Main Differences Between Pressure Groups and Civil Society
- The main difference between a Pressure group and a Civil Society is a Pressure group is a group of people who tries to influence or pressure the government to fulfil the interest of its members. At the same time, Civil society is a group or organization that works for the Public interest without being part of the government.
- A pressure group comprises people with common interests and no relationship with the organization. At the same time, Civil society has a close relationship with Intergovernmental organizations.
- https://www.jstor.org/stable/1149558
- https://journals.lww.com/academicmedicine/Citation/1960/11000/Pressure_Group_Politics.35.aspx
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