Family Policy: Interest Group, Elite, and Systems Theories

1
Family PolicyInterest Group, Elite, and Systems
Theories

• Zimmerman, S. L. (1995). Interest group
  theory, elite theory, and systems theory. In S.
  L. Zimmerman, Understanding family policy (2nd
  ed., pp. 142-170). Thousand Oaks, CA Sage
  Publications.

2
Interest Group Theory

• Assumptions (p. 143)
• Groups exert the primary influence on government
  matters that affect families.
• Group struggle and conflict characterize all
  meaningful political activity.
• The important determinants of group influnece are
• membership size,
• wealth,
• organizational strength,
• cohesion,
• and access to decision makers.
• Group equilibrium is mantained through
• compromise,
• negotiation,
• bargaining,
• overlapping memberships,
• formation of coalitions.

3
Assumptions of Elite Theory

• Policies and programs reflect the values and
  interests of elites in a hierarchically arranged
  society.
• Elites share a consensus concerning existing
  institutional arrangements and the values
  underlying them.
• The size and complexity of modern society and
  organizational life not only preclude the active
  and full participation of everyone in the
  political process but also require some division
  of labor.
• The division of labor creates a class of rulers
  or governing elites.

4
Types of Elite Theory

• Revolving Model power is widely dispersed to
  influence waxes and wanes.
• Fixed Model power remains in the hands of
  particular groups.
• Concentric Circles of Elites power is
  distributed in concentric circles.
• The general or inattentive public.
• The attentive public.
• The policy and opinion elites.
• The actors in the situation (i.e., elected
  officials).
• Strategic Elites people in roles of influences
  such as appointed advisors or heads of
  influential committees.

5
Assumptions of Family Policy as Systems Output

• Political life is a system of behavior.
• A system is distinguishable from the environment
  in which it exists and is open to influence from
  it.
• A political system is goal setting,
  self-transforming and adaptive, composed of human
  beings who are capable of anticipating,
  evaluating, and acting constructively to prevent
  disturbances in the systems environment.
• System authorities seek to correct disturbances
  that might be expected to cause system stress in
  relation to system goals.
• Variations in system processes and structures
  represent alternative efforts by system members
  to regulate or cope with stress flowing from
  sources internal and external to the system.
• The capacity of a system to survive in the face
  of system stress is a function of the information
  and feedback that return to system authorities
  and other influences.