Question

What is the main feature of the public interest groups?

Answer 1

Hi Robin,
I'm not sure if you are asking about a specific set of public interest groups, but generally the main feature of such groups is that they are working for changes that would benefit the public, as opposed to some special interest. Some examples are groups that work for things like consumer protection, public health, food safety, etc. These things are all for the benefit of the general public.

A special interest group (SIG), on the other hand, might work for things that benefit only a subset of the population. A generic example is a neighborhood group that doesn't want a garbage dump located in their community. This is not to say that SIGs don't have a good cause, but their aims are not meant for the general public. A garbage dump must go somewhere, but the SIG doesn't want it in their back yard.

I hope this is helpful.