Lobbying and Policy Change

Frank R. Baumgartner, Jeffrey M. Berry, Marie Hojnacki, David C. Kimball, Beth L. Leech

ISBN 10: 0226039455 / ISBN 13: 9780226039459

Edité par The University of Chicago Press, US, 2009

A propos de cet article

During the 2008 election season, politicians from both sides of the aisle promised to rid government of lobbyists' undue influence. For the authors of Lobbying and Policy Change, the most extensive study ever done on the topic, these promises ring hollow - not because politicians fail to keep them but because lobbies are far less influential than political rhetoric suggests. Based on a comprehensive examination of ninety-eight issues, this volume demonstrates that sixty percent of recent lobbying campaigns failed to change policy despite millions of dollars spent trying. Why? The authors find that resources explain less than five percent of the difference between successful and unsuccessful efforts. Moreover, they show, these attempts must overcome an entrenched Washington system with a tremendous bias in favor of the status quo. Though elected officials and existing policies carry more weight, lobbies have an impact too, and when advocates for a given issue finally succeed, policy tends to change significantly.The authors argue, however, that the lobbying community so strongly reflects elite interests that it will not fundamentally alter the balance of power unless its makeup shifts dramatically in favor of average Americans' concerns.

N° de réf. du vendeur LU-9780226039459

Détails bibliographiques

• Titre: Lobbying and Policy Change
• Éditeur: The University of Chicago Press, US
• Date de parution: 2009
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN à 10 chiffres: 0226039455
• ISBN à 13 chiffres: 9780226039459
• Reliure: Paperback
• État de l'article: New
• Poids: 539 grammes

A propos de ce titre

Synopsis

During the 2008 election season, politicians from both sides of the aisle promised to rid government of lobbyists’ undue influence. For the authors of Lobbying and Policy Change, the most extensive study ever done on the topic, these promises ring hollow—not because politicians fail to keep them but because lobbies are far less influential than political rhetoric suggests.

Based on a comprehensive examination of ninety-eight issues, this volume demonstrates that sixty percent of recent lobbying campaigns failed to change policy despite millions of dollars spent trying. Why? The authors find that resources explain less than five percent of the difference between successful and unsuccessful efforts. Moreover, they show, these attempts must overcome an entrenched Washington system with a tremendous bias in favor of the status quo.

Though elected officials and existing policies carry more weight, lobbies have an impact too, and when advocates for a given issue finally succeed, policy tends to change significantly. The authors argue, however, that the lobbying community so strongly reflects elite interests that it will not fundamentally alter the balance of power unless its makeup shifts dramatically in favor of average Americans’ concerns.

À propos des auteurs

Frank R. Baumgartner is the Richard J. Richardson Distinguished Professor of Political Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Jeffrey M. Berry is professor emeritus of political science at Tufts University. He is the author of several books, including, most recently, The Outrage Industry: Political Opinion Media and the New Incivility.

Marie Hojnacki is associate professor of political science at Penn State University.

David C. Kimball is associate professor of political science at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

Beth L. Leech is associate professor of political science at Rutgers University.