Compare and contrast grassroots lobbying with astroturf lobbying. Which one is generally more effective?

What will be an ideal response?


Ans: Grassroots lobbying is really a bottom-up public movement to make change. The source of the action and the coordination come from citizens who bind together—at times spontaneously—over a concern. Because of the romantic vision of grassroots activism and because elected officials do not like to be on the wrong side of public opinion, astroturf lobbying attempts to emulate grassroots political action. Instead of being a bottom-up movement, however, astroturf lobbying is coordinated by existing, and often powerful, interest groups. Both types of lobbying can be very influential, although the latter is artificial and looks to piggyback on grassroots politics by masking itself as a grassroots effort.

Political Science

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Political Science