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63-512: Established in 1946, ELEC was one of the founding members of the European Movement in 1948. It is built as a federation of national sections present in a number of European countries. The membership of its national sections is drawn largely from economic and financial circles; but it also maintains close contacts with senior national and European civil servants as well as academics and policy makers, whose expertise and influence stimulate

126-607: A century. Off the record, prestigious speakers of big European banks, central bank governors, European commissioners and high officials, influential members of the European Parliament, and members of the board of the European Central Bank shared their thoughts with ELEC members, leading to animated discussions. ECB President Jean-Claude Trichet in person was a regular guest of the “Kronberg" meetings. After 2007, other important European banks took over as

189-400: A certain way in the legislature. Access to this channel is generally restricted to groups with insider status such as large corporations and trade unions – groups with outsider status are unlikely to be able to meet with ministers or other members of the bureaucracy to discuss policy. What must be understood about groups exerting influence in the bureaucracy is; "the crucial relationship here [in

252-445: A feeling of satisfaction from expressing a political value. Also, it would not matter if the interest group achieved their goal; these members would merely be able to say they helped out in the process of trying to obtain their goals, which is the expressive incentive that they got in the first place. The types of interest groups that rely on expressive benefits or incentives are environmental groups and groups who claim to be lobbying for

315-625: A global structure such as Greenpeace were better able to adapt to globalisation. Greenpeace, for example, has offices in over 30 countries and has an income of $ 50 million annually. Groups such as these have secured the nature of their influence by gaining status as nongovernmental organisations (NGOs), many of which oversee the work of the UN and the EU from their permanent offices in America and Europe. Group pressure by supranational industries can be exerted in

378-554: A host of this gathering that is still called the “Kronberg” Conference. ING Group hosted a conference on March 5 and 6, 2009, in Amsterdam, and once again on November 13, 2011, in The Hague. Rabo Bank is set to sponsor the next conference. First and foremost, ELEC hinges on its national sections, which enjoy considerable autonomy in recruiting their members, assembling their financial resources and organising their own activities. It

441-682: A keen interest for the monetary aspects of European integration which remained unabated ever since. On 14 July 1956, the Monetary Commission convened for the first time in the Schlosshotel in Kronberg (north of Frankfurt), at Deutsche Bank's invitation and under Hermann J. Abs' presidency, in order to examine the monetary conditions of the common market. It was the first in a long series of yearly gatherings at this same location, stretching almost without interruption for more than half

504-455: A mass movement, although it was present at The Hague in 1948 among the founding organisations of the European Movement . Open to all ELEC members, there are several working commissions covering various areas of economic activity and cooperation in Europe such as Economic & Social, Mediterranean and Monetary. It is in the commissions that ELEC's essential research is carried out, as well as

567-479: A number of ways: "through direct lobbying by large corporations, national trade bodies and 'peak' associations such as the European Round Table of Industrialists ". There have been many significant advocacy groups throughout history, some of which could operated with dynamics that could better categorize them as social movements . Here are some notable advocacy groups operating in different parts of

630-437: A patriotic organization. Advocacy groups exist in a wide variety of genres based upon their most pronounced activities. In most liberal democracies , advocacy groups tend to use the bureaucracy as the main channel of influence – because, in liberal democracies, this is where the decision-making power lies. The aim of advocacy groups here is to attempt to influence a member of the legislature to support their cause by voting

693-749: A result of group pressure, for example, the Labour Party in the UK was formed out of the new trade union movement which lobbied for the rights of workers. Advocacy groups also exert influence through channels that are separate from the government or the political structure such as the mass media and through public opinion campaigning. Advocacy groups will use methods such as protesting , petitioning and civil disobedience to attempt to exert influence in Liberal Democracies. Groups will generally use two distinct styles when attempting to manipulate

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756-467: A study and information group operating through various projects and activities, and publishes information on European affairs and activities. The Movement's central office, located at Place de Luxembourg in Brussels , is headed up by a President and six Vice-Presidents. Honorary Presidents, generally prominent European politicians, are also elected, but hold no executive powers. The current President of

819-640: Is a reward for participation that is socially derived and created out of the act of association. Examples include "socializing congeniality, the sense of group membership and identification, the status resulting from membership, fun, conviviality , the maintenance of social distinctions , and so on. People who join an interest group because of expressive benefits likely joined to express an ideological or moral value that they believe in, such as free speech , civil rights , economic justice , or political equality . To obtain these types of benefits, members would simply pay dues, and donate their time or money to get

882-424: Is also the forum in which the programmes of ELEC's working commissions are debated and approved, and their work evaluated. Open to all ELEC members, there are several commissions covering various areas of economic activity and cooperation in Europe of which the most important are : Economic & Social, Mediterranean and Monetary. It is in the commissions that ELEC's essential research is carried out, as well as

945-630: Is mainly through national sections that members are attracted to ELEC and participate in its national and international activities. The Central Council, which is ELEC's managing body, brings together twice a year the presidents of national sections in activity and individual members elected for their personal contribution to ELEC, under the leadership of the International President. It alone is empowered to adopt resolutions in ELEC's name and to circulate them by whatever means it chooses. This

1008-504: The banning of the slave trade in 1807. In the opinion of Eugene Black (1963), "...association made possible the extension of the politically effective public. Modern extra parliamentary political organization is a product of the late eighteenth century [and] the history of the age of reform cannot be written without it. From 1815, Britain after victory in the Napoleonic Wars entered a period of social upheaval characterised by

1071-433: The political process , while others have few or no such resources. Some have developed into important social, and political institutions or social movements . Some powerful advocacy groups have been accused of manipulating the democratic system for narrow commercial gain, and in some instances have been found guilty of corruption , fraud , bribery , influence peddling and other serious crimes . Some groups, generally

1134-1087: The 1948 Congress of The Hague . From 7 to 11 May 1948, 800 delegates from Europe and observers from Canada and the United States gathered in The Hague , the Netherlands for the Congress of Europe . Organised by the International Committee of the Movements for European Unity and presided over by Winston Churchill, the Congress discussed ideas about the development of the European Union . Politicians such as Konrad Adenauer , Winston Churchill , Harold Macmillan , Bertrand Russell , François Mitterrand , Paul-Henri Spaak , Albert Coppé and Altiero Spinelli took an active role in

1197-858: The Council of Europe can join the European Movement. Only on national level the EM has youth branches. Policy is formulated by a Board, the chairmanship of which is held by the President. A 'Federal Assembly', made up of delegates from all member organisations foments policies for the EMI and is in charge of the organisation's Auditors. Several specialist committees, devoted to the discussion of individual policies exist as well. The current Political Committees are: More Democracy, Citizens' Rights and Freedom; Jobs, Competitiveness and Sustainable Growth; and Europe in

1260-450: The EMI is Guy Verhofstadt MEP. The management of the organisation is drawn from across Europe. The EMI has several International Member Associations. These include civil society organisations, business and trade unions, NGOs, political parties, local authorities and academia. At national level there are National Councils in 39 countries, organized in a very diverse way. In principle national councils of all countries which are members of

1323-455: The Republic , the largest of all Union Army veterans' organizations, was the most powerful single-issue political lobby of the late nineteenth century, securing massive pensions for veterans and helping to elect five postwar presidents from its own membership. To its members, it was also a secret fraternal order, a source of local charity, a provider of entertainment in small municipalities, and

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1386-674: The US, however, advocacy group influence is much more significant. For example, in 1954 the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) lobbied against the Topeka Board of education, arguing that segregation of education based on race was unconstitutional. As a result of group pressure from the NAACP, the supreme court unanimously ruled that racial segregation in education

1449-610: The United States are using social media to interact with citizens every day. The study surveyed 53 groups, that were found to be using a variety of social media technologies to achieve organizational and political goals: As noted in the study, "while some groups raised doubts about social media's ability to overcome the limitations of weak ties and generational gaps , an overwhelming majority of groups see social media as essential to contemporary advocacy work and laud its democratizing function." Another 2012 study argued that advocacy groups use social media to reach audiences unrelated to

1512-600: The United States, the Civil Rights Movement gained much of its publicity through civil disobedience; African Americans would simply disobey the racist segregation laws to get the violent, racist reaction from the police and white Americans. This violence and racism was then broadcast all over the world, showing the world just how one sided the race 'war' in America actually was. Advocacy group influence has also manifested itself in supranational bodies that have arisen through globalisation . Groups that already had

1575-1041: The World. Day-to-day office-work is performed by the staff, which is led by a Secretary General, who since 2015 has been Petros Fassoulas. Current members of the Board are: President - Guy Verhofstadt ; Secretary General - Petros Fassoulas; Vice-presidents - Brando Benifei , Yves Bertoncini, Tobias Köck , Noelle O'Connell, Valeria Ronzitti, Frédéric Vallier; Treasurer - Nataša Owens; Board members - Aku Aarva, Francisco Aldecoa Luzárranga, Antonio Argenziano, Veronika Chmelárová, Marco Cilento, Sina Frank, Monica Frassoni , Patrizia Heidegger, Olivier Hinnekens, Zvezdana Kovač, Roselyne Lefrançois, Richard Morris. Advocacy group Advocacy groups , also known as lobby groups , interest groups , special interest groups , pressure groups , or public associations , use various forms of advocacy or lobbying to influence public opinion and ultimately public policy . They play an important role in

1638-443: The acceptance of social media use by advocacy groups, populations not affiliated with media advocacy often question the benevolence of social media. Rather than exclusively fostering an atmosphere of camaraderie and universal understanding, social media can perpetuate power hierarchies . More specifically, social media can provide "a means of reproducing power and fulfilling group interest for those possessing excessive power... [having

1701-410: The aim of having their issues translated into policy such as the government encouraging alternative energy and recycling . The judicial branch of government can also be used by advocacy groups to exert influence. In states where legislation cannot be challenged by the courts, like the UK, advocacy groups are limited in the amount of influence they have. In states that have codified constitutions, like

1764-399: The assembly by lobbying. Groups with greater economic resources at their disposal can employ professional lobbyists to try and exert influence in the assembly. An example of such a group is the environmentalist group Greenpeace ; Greenpeace (an organisation with income upward of $ 50,000,000) use lobbying to gain political support for their campaigns. They raise issues about the environment with

1827-459: The bureaucracy] is usually that between the senior bureaucrats and leading business or industrial interests". This supports the view that groups with greater financial resources at their disposal will generally be better able to influence the decision-making process of government. The advantages that large businesses have is mainly due to the fact that they are key producers within their countries economy and, therefore, their interests are important to

1890-526: The communities they help and to mobilize diverse groups of people. Mobilization is achieved in four ways: "1). Social media help connect individuals to advocacy groups and thus can strengthen outreach efforts. 2). Social media help promote engagement as they enable engaging feedback loops. 3). Social media strengthen collective action efforts through an increased speed of communication. 4). Social media are cost-effective tools that enable advocacy organizations to do more for less." While these studies show

1953-611: The congress and a call was launched for a political, economic and monetary Union of Europe. This conference had a profound influence on the shape of the European Movement, which was created soon afterwards. The European Movement was formally created on 25 October 1948, when the Joint International Committee for European Unity decided to change its name. Duncan Sandys was elected President and Léon Blum , Winston Churchill, Alcide De Gasperi and Paul-Henri Spaak were elected as Honorary Presidents. The U.S. policy

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2016-754: The congress of The Committee for the Co-ordination of the European Movements took place in Paris on 17 July 1947 incorporating "La Ligue Européenne de Coopération Economique" (LECE), "l' Union Européenne des Fédéralistes " (UEF), " l'Union Parlementaire Européenne " (UPE) and the Anglo-French United European Movements. They met again on 10 November 1947 and changed their name to The Joint International Committee for European Unity. They retained this name until after

2079-476: The development of political and social systems. Motives for action may be based on political , economic , religious , moral , commercial or common good -based positions. Groups use varied methods to try to achieve their aims, including lobbying , media campaigns, awareness raising publicity stunts , polls , research , and policy briefings. Some groups are supported or backed by powerful business or political interests and exert considerable influence on

2142-866: The direct election of the European Parliament by all European citizens , in favour of the Treaty on the European Union (the Maastricht Treaty ) and also for a European Constitution . The Movement's various Councils and Associations, under the co-ordination of the European Movement International (EMI), work to influence European decision-makers - associations, governments, politicians, political parties, enterprises, trade unions and individual lobbyists - to promote European integration . The EM also works as

2205-399: The drafting of position papers that give rise to various publications. They frequently call on external experts to present the issues which they examine. ELEC is financed through yearly contributions of the national sections. European Movement The European Movement International is a lobbying association that coordinates the efforts of associations and national councils with

2268-496: The drafting of position papers that give rise to various publications. They frequently call on external experts to present the issues which they examine. The Monetary and the Mediterranean commissions organize from time to time conferences, which are open to a larger public, including non-ELEC members. The "Kronberg Monetary Conference" is ELEC's flagship in this respect. From the very first years of its existence, ELEC showed

2331-587: The end of the Seven Years' War . Charged with seditious libel , Wilkes was arrested after the issue of a general warrant , a move that Wilkes denounced as unlawful – the Lord Chief Justice eventually ruled in Wilkes favour. As a result of this episode, Wilkes became a figurehead to the growing movement for popular sovereignty among the middle classes – people began chanting, "Wilkes and Liberty" in

2394-429: The end of the 1990s the emergence of a new global social movement, the anti-globalization movement . Some social movement scholars posit that with the rapid pace of globalization, the potential for the emergence of new type of social movement is latent—they make the analogy to national movements of the past to describe what has been termed a global citizens movement . According to Stuart McConnell: The Grand Army of

2457-715: The exchanges and broaden their scope and quality. ELEC has advisory status at the Council of Europe and on the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe . The European League for Economic Cooperation was founded in 1946 by Paul Van Zeeland ( Belgium ), Józef Retinger ( Poland ) and Pieter Kerstens ( the Netherlands ). They were rapidly joined by other people such as Edmond Giscard d'Estaing ( France ), Harold Butler ( United Kingdom ) and Hermann Abs ( Germany ). It has never been

2520-438: The general goal of improving farming for every farmer, even those who are not members of that particular interest group. Thus, there is no real incentive to join an interest group and pay dues if the farmer will receive that benefit anyway. For another example, every individual in the world would benefit from a cleaner environment, but environmental protection interest groups do not receive monetary help from every individual in

2583-519: The goal of promoting European integration , and disseminating information about it. The origins of the European Movement date to July 1947, when the cause of a united Europe was being promoted by Duncan Sandys in the form of the Anglo-French United European Movement (UEM). The UEM acted as a platform for the co-ordination of the organisations created in the wake of World War II . As a result of their efforts,

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2646-487: The government as their contributions are important to the economy. According to George Monbiot , the influence of big business has been strengthened by "the greater ease with which corporations can relocate production and investment in a global economy ". This suggests that in the ever modernising world, big business has an increasing role in influencing the bureaucracy and in turn, the decision-making process of government. Advocacy groups can also exert influence through

2709-467: The growing maturity of the use of social movements and special-interest associations. Chartism was the first mass movement of the growing working-class in the world. It campaigned for political reform between 1838 and 1848 with the People's Charter of 1838 as its manifesto – this called for universal suffrage and the implementation of the secret ballot , amongst other things. The term "social movements"

2772-638: The interests of businesses. For example, George W. Bush 's re-election campaign in 2004 was the most expensive in American history and was financed mainly by large corporations and industrial interests that the Bush administration represented in government. Conversely, left-wing parties are often funded by organised labour – when the British Labour Party was formed, it was largely funded by trade unions. Often, political parties are actually formed as

2835-649: The late 19th century are seen as the prototypical social movements, leading to the formation of communist and social democratic parties and organisations. These tendencies were seen in poorer countries as pressure for reform continued, for example in Russia with the Russian Revolution of 1905 and of 1917 , resulting in the collapse of the Czarist regime around the end of the First World War . In

2898-468: The media – they will either put across their outsider status and use their inability to access the other channels of influence to gain sympathy or they may put across a more ideological agenda. Traditionally, a prime example of such a group were the trade-unions who were the so-called "industrial" muscle. Trade-unions would campaign in the forms of industrial action and marches for workers rights, these gained much media attention and sympathy for their cause. In

2961-406: The mid-18th century, including political representation , market capitalization , and proletarianization . The first mass social movement catalyzed around the controversial political figure, John Wilkes . As editor of the paper The North Briton , Wilkes vigorously attacked the new administration of Lord Bute and the peace terms that the new government accepted at the 1763 Treaty of Paris at

3024-405: The movement was careful not to cross the line into open rebellion – it tried to rectify the faults in governance through appeals to existing legal precedents and was conceived of as an extra-Parliamentary form of agitation to arrive at a consensual and constitutional arrangement. The force and influence of this social advocacy movement on the streets of London compelled the authorities to concede to

3087-491: The movement's demands. Wilkes was returned to Parliament, general warrants were declared as unconstitutional and press freedom was extended to the coverage of Parliamentary debates . Another important advocacy group that emerged in the late 18th century was the British abolitionist movement against slavery . Starting with an organised sugar boycott in 1791, it led the second great petition drive of 1806, which brought about

3150-476: The ones with less financial resources, may use direct action and civil disobedience , and in some cases are accused of being a threat to the social order or ' domestic extremists '. Research is beginning to explore how advocacy groups use social media to facilitate civic engagement, and collective action. The early growth of pressure groups was connected to broad economic and political changes in England in

3213-470: The post-war period, women's rights , gay rights , peace , civil rights , anti-nuclear and environmental movements emerged, often dubbed the New Social Movements , some of which may be considered " general interest groups" as opposed to special interest groups. They led, among other things, to the formation of green parties and organisations influenced by the new left . Some find in

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3276-428: The potential to] indirectly reinforce elitist domination." By excluding those without access to the internet, social media inherently misrepresents populations- particularly the populations in low-income countries . Since media advocacy groups use social media as a way to boost the narratives of these populations, the effect of social media use can be counteractive to well-intentioned goals. Instead of directly amplifying

3339-834: The public interest. Some public policy interests are not recognized or addressed by a group at all. These interests are labeled latent interests. Much work has been undertaken by academics attempting to categorize how advocacy groups operate, particularly in relation to governmental policy creation. The field is dominated by numerous and diverse schools of thought: There are three broad perspectives on how special interest groups achieve influence: through quid pro quo exchange, information transmission, and subsidizing policymaking. Apart from lobbying and other methods of asserting political presence, advocacy groups use social media to attract attention towards their particular cause. A study published in early 2012 suggests that advocacy groups of varying political and ideological orientations operating in

3402-628: The right to sit in Parliament, Wilkes became an Alderman of London in 1769, and an activist group called the Society for the Supporters of the Bill of Rights began aggressively promoting his policies. This was the first ever sustained social advocacy group – it involved public meetings, demonstrations, the distribution of pamphlets on an unprecedented scale and the mass petition march. However,

3465-515: The streets. After a later period of exile, brought about by further charges of libel and obscenity , Wilkes stood for the Parliamentary seat at Middlesex , where most of his support was located. When Wilkes was imprisoned in the King's Bench Prison on 10 May 1768, a mass movement of support emerged, with large demonstrations in the streets under the slogan "No liberty, no King." Stripped of

3528-484: The unionists aimed "at creating an association of states as close as is compatible with the retention of national sovereign independence." In May 1949, the European Movement played a significant role in encouraging ten European states to create the Council of Europe , and to begin work on drafting a charter of rights, which eventually became the European Convention on Human Rights . The European Movement

3591-399: The voices and narratives of historically marginalized populations , social media magnifies their concerns through the perspective of individuals with access to the internet. Since advocacy groups have the agency to control a community's narrative through a social media post, they have the agency to control the deservedness of a community as well. That is, the amount of resources or attention

3654-489: The world. This poses a problem for interest groups, which require dues from their members and contributions in order to accomplish the groups' agendas. Selective benefits are material, rather than monetary benefits conferred on group members. For instance, an interest group could give members free or discounted travel, meals, or periodical subscriptions. Many trade and professional interest groups tend to give these types of benefits to their members. A solidarity incentive

3717-516: The world: On some controversial issues there are a number of competing advocacy groups, sometimes with very different resources available to them: A general theory is that individuals must be enticed with some type of benefit to join an interest group. However, the free rider problem addresses the difficulty of obtaining members of a particular interest group when the benefits are already reaped without membership. For instance, an interest group dedicated to improving farming standards will fight for

3780-661: Was also responsible for the creation of the College of Europe in Bruges and the European Center of Culture in Geneva . One of its major functions during the 1950s through to the 1990s was the setting up of think-tanks and a network of discussion groups across Europe, in countries both democratic and Communist. Since 1948, the European Movement has lobbied for further integration, on numerous subjects. It worked in favour of

3843-440: Was indeed unconstitutional and such practices were banned. This is a novel example of how advocacy groups can exert influence in the judicial branch of government. Advocacy groups can also exert influence on political parties. The main way groups do this is through campaign finance. For instance; in the UK, the conservative parties campaigns are often funded by large corporations, as many of the conservative parties campaigns reflect

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3906-558: Was introduced in 1848 by the German Sociologist Lorenz von Stein in his book Socialist and Communist Movements since the Third French Revolution (1848) in which he introduced the term "social movement" into scholarly discussions – actually depicting in this way political movements fighting for the social rights understood as welfare rights . The labor movement and socialist movement of

3969-477: Was to promote a United States of Europe, and to this end the American Committee on United Europe committee was used to discreetly funnel CIA funds to such organisations as this. Initially the European Movement in the 1940s brought together "federalists and European unionists". The federalists, organised mainly in the European Union of Federalists, sought "an abatement of national sovereignty" whilst

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