We explain the difference between political parties and interest group with table. Similar terms are often confused because they don’t know the difference between the terms. The same happened with the terms political parties and interest groups that people considered both terms equal, and believe that there is no difference between these terms. Well, we can say that they are very different from each other.
Political parties are the entity that acts as a mediator between the political sphere and the population. The parties can also mean where the people of the country can know the matter on social issues and political terms and be informed about the votes. The main objective of political parties is to win elections and they can focus on various issues.
Interest groups also bring people and political circles together. This group works together on health, taxes, migration, broader issues; it also includes financial and other matters. It is a group that is highly involved in persuading the government on an issue. They basically focus on one or two specific issues.
The difference between political parties and interest groups Political parties are involved in the electoral process and seek to win it. On the other hand, an interest group does not get involved in the electoral process and generally focuses on one or two specific issues.
Comparative table between political parties and interest groups
Comparison parameters Political parties Interest group
| Sense | Political parties are the entity that can act as a mediator between the political sphere and the population. | The interest group also acts as a mediator between the political sphere and the population. |
| objective | The basic objective of a political party is to support the candidate of its party and make him win in the elections. | The stakeholder group aims to influence the decisions of the government and the people and deal with the specific issue. |
| Flexible | Political parties are flexible as they draw in the crowd so that they can win in elections. | Interest groups are inflexible, as they cannot attract large numbers of people to the country. |
| Size | The size of the political parties does not help the parties to win the candidate in the elections. | The size of the interest group gives the advantage, as they can influence the decision of the people. |
| Offers to issue | Political parties focus on issues like immigration, education, taxes, health, etc. | The parties of interest focus on specific issues such as political, economic, political changes, advantages and disadvantages of abortion, advantages and disadvantages of abortion. |
What are political parties?
Political parties generally exist to have power by supporting one or more candidates in elections. As in the United States, Democrats and Republicans are the two political parties; Every four years, they presented new or old candidates from the parties to participate in the elections. These parties focus mainly on issues such as the social welfare of the people, equal rights are given to each citizen of the country, taxes are paid fairly, a good and healthy foreign relationship is maintained, each one has provided medical care. and gun control.
The motive of this party is to gain power by supporting its own candidate in the parties so that he can make his own decision on the different issues, which is why they are generally criticized for focusing first on the interest of politicians before the needs of the citizen. Political parties comprise all citizens who identify with the party itself, even when they are not officially registered.
What is the interest group?
The interest group is basically the group of people who share a similar opinion on some issues that come together to affect public opinion. Although an interest group does not participate in the election and does not support any party candidate, it attempts to stop or consent to a particular law through campaigning and lobbying.
Stakeholders consist of unions, social groups, student unions, corporations, and businesses. This group is involved in a specific issue like the environment, the minimum wage or gun control. These parties are not flexible and their power depends on their size and impact on the border population and their ability to influence politicians and individuals.
Main differences between political parties and interest group
- Both political parties and interest groups are created by people with common ideals, visions, and goals.
- Both political parties and interest groups focus on political, economic and political change.
- Political parties are flexible as they attract the general population so that they can win elections. On the other hand, interest groups are not flexible, but they focus on some important issues like gun control.
- In a political party, all members do not share the same opinion. On the other hand, interest groups are made up of members who share similar ideas with members.
- Political parties deal with different issues like migration, taxes, education, etc. on the other hand, interest groups focus on a specific issue such as advantages and disadvantages against gun control or advantage or disadvantage against abortion.
- The size of the political parties does not help the candidate to win in the elections. On the other hand, the size of the stakeholder group has a significant impact on society.
- Both political parties and interest groups can help the citizens of the country understand specific issues and make the right decision.
Final Thought
As the main difference between political parties and interest groups has been said, it will be easy to understand since both political parties and interest groups share the same ideas in political, economic and political changes.
Political parties focus on the power of the country; if the party’s candidate wins, the interest group does not participate in the election. Still, their main focus is influencing the government’s decision on the specific issue through campaigns, demonstrations, etc.
