How do interest groups differ from political parties? What ...

[karateprodigy]

How do interest groups differ from political parties?
 
  What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

What is a political opportunity structure? Explain.
 
  What will be an ideal response?

[mcarey591]

Answer to Question 1

Interest groups differ from political parties in three ways. First, they
tend to focus on a single issue or a narrow set of issues, whereas parties must present
and campaign on a platform that covers more political terrain. Second, interest groups
do not present candidates for elections. Third, because they do not need to win votes
like parties do, interest groups do not require as extensive a formal organization or
membership base. Instead, they often rely on a relatively narrow base of supporters
who provide labor and/or funding.

Answer to Question 2

Political opportunity structure refers to the way a country's political system
shapes, promotes, checks, or absorbs the challenges it confronts from organized civil
society. The political opportunity structure can be thought of as the relative degree of
openness or closure of a polity to new forms of contentious politics. It provides the
incentives and disincentives for collective mobilization, because it affects individuals'
and leaders' beliefs about the likelihood of success. A key element of the political
opportunity structure is the degree to which existing organizations already cover all the
bases in terms of contentious issues, interests, and identities in a given society.