How does pluralism relate to political parties

Unlike a political party, an interest group neither nominates candidates for election to public office nor tries to win control of the government through the electoral process. However, interest groups do participate in election campaigns by supporting individual candidates and political parties that favor their point of view.

Interest group members also use the mass media and face-to-face interactions with people to influence public opinion in favor of their positions on public issues. Interest groups are formed in a democracy in order to represent and advance the competing interests of different segments of the society and economy. For example, in the United States, there are many interest groups that promote the viewpoints of particular industries, such as the producers or sellers of petroleum, firearms, timber, dairy products, and coal.

Labor unions are interest groups that represent workers in various occupations. Still other interest groups address particular topical concerns such as environmental protection, conservation of natural resources, needs of consumers, and the rights of women.

Pluralism in a democracy is exhibited by the existence of multiple competing centers of power. Various nongovernmental organizations, including interest groups, compete to promote their particular goals and their different visions of the common good. These private organizations are subject to the rule of law under a constitution, but they are beyond the direct control of government officials. By contrast, the robust pluralism of a constitutional democracy is weak or absent in non-democratic systems.

Thus, people can act on the political system to change rules to advance their needs, as well as act within it. The pluralist system has enough room, or slack, for this to occur because of the fluidity of various interests over time and across the population Dahl Thus, the pluralist system in American politics serves as the interface between individual interests and government action through organized interest, advocacy, and third-party groups.

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