Jc. Soper, POLITICAL STRUCTURES AND INTEREST GROUP ACTIVISM - A COMPARISON OF THE BRITISH AND AMERICAN PROLIFE MOVEMENTS, The Social science journal, 31(3), 1994, pp. 319-334
This article examines the relationship between the structure of state
power and interest group activism in Great Britain and the United Stat
es using as a model a comparison of the pro-life movement in both coun
tries. The article proposes that different types of political structur
es create different sets of opportunities for interest group activism.
A review of abortion politics in Britain shows how a unitary politica
l system, lack of elite support, and strong party structures, frustrat
ed the political efforts of pro-life organizations. In contrast, Ameri
can pro-life interest groups took advantage of opportunities created b
y a federal political system, weak political parties, and elite suppor
t to become a significant social force in state and national politics.