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Control of national security policy by PO is particularly difficult for several reasons. On the one hand, the highly technical nature of the problems involved makes it difficult for the public to judge the issues intelligently, & the necessary secrecy regarding military plans deprives such judgments of all serious factual basis. On the other hand, the general public, under the influence of tabloids & other mass media, Is inclined to be unduly passive when nothing spectacular is happening, & panicky when it should be calm. In view of these limitations on public participation in decisions regarding security, special interest groups often exercise an excessive influence in this field. The forces which can limit the impact of special interest & overcome indifference & panic are the attentive public, the U's & Coll's which train it & the quality media which inform it. The situation could, however, be improved by a program of educ designed to familiarize the attentive public with military problems, & to create a mil leadership capable of organizing & articulating the issues in public debate. IPSA.

US foreign policy, if it continues to be defined in terms of the extensive set of post WWII commitments & a continuing interest in world order, faces 2 possible futures. US policy can seek to restore the bipartisan consensus & mass confidence in public policy which was so dismembered during the years of Vietnam & by the spectacle of Watergate. If public enthusiasm for the consequences of America's commitments continues to be uncertain at best, the Ford & subsequent administrations, much like the Nixon Administration had attempted to do, can simply attempt to ignore PO in the hope that the trend of public indifference to foreign affairs can be managed so as not to exclude continuing global activism. If, however, the public is bestirred by a foreign policy which is costly & not immediately 'successful', future administrations may find real difficulty in ignoring &/or convincing an aroused public that its interests are best interpreted by national security managers. 2 Tables. AA.

This textbook contains chapters on the Indian Constitution, understanding secularism, understanding laws, criminal justice, public facilities, and more. Made available by National Repository of Open Educational Resources of India.

This textbook is part of series on sociology, social and political life. Chapter titles include Understanding Diversity, Panchayati Raj, Rural Administration, Urban Administration, Rural Livelihoods, and Urban Livelihoods. Made available by the National Repository of Open Educational Resources of India.

Examines the impact of social movement organizations (SMOs) & interest groups on public policy, arguing that their influence is constrained by electoral competition & limits on the ability of citizens/legislators to address multiple issues at the same time. Legislators pay attention to the wishes of the majority of their constituents, & SMOs cannot have a direct impact on policy if they are in conflict with the majority over issues the public cares about. However, SMOs can directly influence policy on issues the public is not particularly interested in, & indirectly influence policy by relating information to elected officials & administrative agencies, as well as by working to change the public's policy preferences or the intensity of their concerns. An examination of the activities of SMOs & interest groups in the context of theories of democracy leads to the conclusion that there is no theoretical justification for distinguishing between them; hence, their abilities to impact public policy are roughly the same. J. Lindroth