ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the way in which certain groups, individuals and actors seek to influence the political system, agenda and process. In particular it considers the aggregation of interests through pressure or interest groups. It also considers the role and function of the mass media in constructing and delivering political messages and communications. The chapter begins with a consideration of the organisation of political parties, the nature of party ideology and a survey of the pattern of political party competition. It then moves to a consideration of interest group politics and considers the characteristics of interests groups, their functions and status in political systems and considers some examples of interest groups operating within and across national boundaries and political systems. The third section of the chapter considers the role, organisation and function of the mass media in contemporary society. In particular, by way of illustration, the chapter analyses the role of newspapers in British election campaigns, television in election campaigns in the USA, and the use of images in politics in various political systems. Furthermore, it considers the crucial area of global media systems and the emergence of new forms of media as we enter the new millennium.
