Abstract:

Pressure groups are organizations formed to defend the interests of their members. In the study, the definition of pressure group, the reasons that cause pressure groups and theories about pressure groups are discussed, and a survey study conducted with Zonguldak Chamber of Commerce and Industry council members is included. The aim of the study is to reveal the tendencies and positions of ZTSO as a pressure group and its role in the political system. With the survey study, the reasons for the establishment of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (UCCE), the members' perspective on UCCE, the position of the state, the main problems of the country, the functioning of UCCE, the position of UCCEin the political system, the basic functions of UCCE and UCCE's The factors that determine the strength arerevealed.Among the results obtained, the founding purpose of UCCE is predominantly the activity of businessmen; Zonguldak Chamber of Commerce and Industry is given little consideration in the decision-making processes; UCCE's field of activity is to play an active role in the laws of the business world; mostly resorting to TOBB executives and bureaucrats for the solution of problems; most of the members of Zonguldak Chamber of Commerce and Industry use face-to-face meeting method in contact with the political system; unemployment, constitutional, educational and ethnic problems among the most important problems; Considering UCCE as an organization that plays an active role in the transmission of requests to the political system and dependent on the political power, the factors that determine the power of UCCE are social status, number of members and financial power.

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