ULTRA INSIDERS, HIGH PROFILE INSIDERS AND LOW PROFILE INSIDERS

Insiders may be broken down into three types: Ultra Insiders, High Profile Insiders and Low Profile Insiders.

  1. Ultra Insiders are groups that are regularly consulted at ministerial or senior officials level with the Executive and Legislative branches.
  2. High Profile Insiders are groups which although they closely involved in negotiations may seek to enhance their influence with regular access to the media. They make more use of the media and public opinion campaign, and overall they have a large public presence and are more well-known. They often have links to political parties.
  3. Low Profile Insiders are groups that concentrate almost solely on becomping close with the government and don't bother with public campaigns. They are not well-known, do not engage in huge amount of media coverage because the government may not want it public that they are close.

In order to reach High Profile Insiders and Ultra Insiders' status, those groups must demonstrate that they possess at least some of the following features:

  • High membership and high membership density i.e. representing a large number and proportion of people concerned with a particular issue. Membership density is the ratio of actual memebrs to poential members.
  • Compatibility of its own objectives with the objectives of government and with public opinion.
  • Willingness to operate through the 'normal political channels' rather than to engage in high profile demonstrations and direct action.
  • Capacity to provide reliable, accurate information which might otherwise be unavailable and which facilitates government decision-making.
  • A significant role in the legitimation and/or implementation of government policies.
  • Economic leverage and veto power. Governments cannot ignore business interests since government success depends in may ways on the existence of a strong economy.

Insider groups with these characteristics are especially likely to be able to influence government policy decisions.

 

 

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