ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the means deployed by pressure groups to achieve influence and the underlying reasons for their effectiveness or failure. It considers the resources available to groups, including finances, expertise, size and quality of membership, leadership, sanctions and choice of strategy. The chapter examines the political context in which the various interests struggle to exert influence. Pressure group resources include finances, expertise, organisation, membership, leadership and sanctions. The nature and extent of its resources are powerful shaping factors in a group's choice of strategy. A key pressure group resource is expertise. The quality of a group's expertise can make it worth consulting by government. Professional groups are potentially powerful in the policy process because of their high status which is principally based on the possession of specialist knowledge and expertise. The relative success or failure of groups in influencing the policy process can change as a result of restructuring within government.
