Task Force: A Country With No Interest Groups

Congratulations!

You have been given the power to design the political system of a new country! However, because this country is new, no interest groups have formed yet to represent the needs of different groups. So, you are tasked with designing a system that fairly distributes power and considers diverse interests in a society that lacks the influence of interest groups. 

Why Are We Doing This?

In the United States, there are various interest groups that serve the purpose of representing the collective voice of certain communities. These include, but are not limited to: League of Women Voters, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and Americans for Democratic Action. Here, we ask you to imagine a nation where these groups have little to no influence and you are responsible for implementing different rules and regulations that will work in place of interest groups. 

Steps:

1. Before you begin, research some information about different interest groups in the United States and how they influence the nation’s politics. 
   1. What kinds of interest groups did you find? 
   2. What are they and who do they represent?
   3. What issues do the interest groups you researched try to address?
   4. What is the purpose of interest groups? Why have they been necessary currently and historically? 
   5. What rules and regulations might help achieve their goals if they did not have any influence over policy makers?
2. Then, try to design your new system that addresses the lack of influence interest groups have in the country. 
   1. How will people and groups gain influence in your society? 
   2. How will the interests of key groups be represented in politics and government? 
   3. Define 5-7 rules and regulations that could address the concerns of different groups.
      1. What groups do they assist or limit the power of? How?
      2. How do they keep the political process fair? 
      3. What is the process for correcting any unfair practices when they arise? 
      4. How will your rules and regulations address the needs of groups that have been historically marginalized in other societies? 
      5. How will you prevent one group from becoming too powerful? 
3. Think through the possible objections about your plan and how you would respond to them. 
4. Share with the group and see if you can convince them that your plan would work. 

Things to Keep in Mind:

• You do not have to come up with an exhaustive list of rules and regulations. It’s better to come up with a few ideas that you feel confident with and spend time thinking through possible objections to them. 
• You don’t have to worry about answering all possible objections, but you should have some defense of why you think your idea would work.