2nd Edition
Interest Groups and Lobbying Pursuing Political Interests in America
Interest Groups and Lobbying shows how political organizations and their lobbyists play a crucial role in how policy is made in the United States. It cuts through the myths and misconceptions about interest groups and lobbyists with an accessible and comprehensive text supported by real world examples and the latest research.
New to the Second Edition
• Fully updates and expands the discussion of social media and other online activity engaged in by interest groups, showing that they have become more sophisticated in their use of the internet – especially social media – for keeping current members informed and for their advocacy work.
• New case studies on more recent advocacy efforts.
• Updated data used in the book, including:
• Total number and types of interest groups lobbying in Washington, DC
• Total number and types of interest groups lobbying in the fifty states
• Data on campaign contributions
• Data on amicus briefs and case sponsorship
• Data on stages of the lawmaking process where interest groups appear to lobby the most
• New data on revolving-door lobbyists
Table of Contents
Preface
List of figures and tables
Introduction: First Shoot All of the Lobbyists?
Part One: Origins and Structures
Chapter One: Interests and Interest Groups
Defining Interests (and Interest Groups)
A Culture of Self-Interest
Lobbying and the Right of Interests to Petition
A Very Brief History of Interest Groups in the United States
In Summary
Chapter Two: Collective Action and Interest Group Organization
Collective Action in an Individualistic Nation
Who Joins Interest Groups?
Starting Up Interest Groups
Types of Organized Interests
State Interest Groups and Group Population Limits
The Diversity of Interests
In Summary
Chapter Three: Social Movements and Activism
Cracking Open, Not Tearing Down, the System
Recipe for a Successful Social Movement
Social Movement or Interest Group?
Outside to Inside: Organized Labor in American Politics
Countermovement Cycles in Business Advocacy
Social Movement Protest in an Online World
Case Study – Hashtags Can Matter
In Summary
Chapter Four: Lobbyists and Organization Management
Information and Representation
Participation in Interest Groups
Who Are Lobbyists?
The Politics of Interest Group Maintenance
In Summary
Chapter Five: A Model of Interest Group Advocacy
Lobbyists in the Middle
Interest Group Member Pressure
Policy Maker Pressure
The Alignment of Interests
The Strategic Lobbyist
In Summary
Part Two: Lobbying and Influence
Chapter Six: Lobbying Congress, the Most Permeable Branch
A Multiplicity of Pressure Points
The Constituency Connection
Circles of Friends
Committees and Parties
Case Study – Fighting Financial Reform
In Summary
Chapter Seven: Executive Branch Lobbying
Lobbying the White House
Lobbying the Bureaucracy
Case Study – Fight for Net Neutrality
In Summary
Chapter Eight: Interest Groups Going to Court
Shaping the Bench
Litigating for Change
Who Sues
Friends of the Court
Case Study – Second Amendment Lobbying
In Summary
Chapter Nine: Friends and Foes of Convenience
Competitive Differences and Strange Bedfellows
Coalition Politics
Other Partners
The Timing of Conflict and Cooperation
Competition and Venue Shopping
Case Study – To Frack, or Not to Frack
In Summary
Chapter Ten: Interest Groups, Elections, and Campaign Finance
A Brief History of Contributing
Types of PACs
Why Form a PAC?
What Does it All Buy?
Strategic Giving
Endorsements
Case Study – Shifting Politics at the Chamber
In Summary
Conclusion: Representation in the Interest Group Age
Ethics in Lobbying
Lobbying Reform
Neopluralist Politics
Final Thoughts
Glossary
Index
Biography
Thomas T. Holyoke is Professor of Political Science at California State University, Fresno. He is a specialist in interest group politics, as well as education policy and Western water policy. In addition to over three dozen articles and book chapters, he has published several books on interest groups, lobbying, and public policymaking, most recently The Ethical Lobbyist: Reforming Washington’s Influence Industry (Georgetown University Press, 2016).
Praise for the Second Edition
"Exceptional in scope and clarity, Holyoke’s Interest Groups and Lobbying is sure to become a mainstay for students and scholars of American politics. Holyoke presents a comprehensive and timely review of existing theory and empirical research."
—James Strickland, Arizona State University
Praise for the First Edition
"Interest Groups and Lobbying provides a compelling and thoughtful examination of lobbying and advocacy that allows students to consider the topic in both an applied and theoretically rigorous way."
—Interest Groups & Advocacy
"Interest Groups and Lobbying is an engaging, informed, and innovative analysis of interest groups and lobbying. More than simply a description of lobbyist 'dos and don'ts,' this book provides a serious model for understanding the real-world issues that lobbyists and the groups they work for face."
—Rodd Freitag, University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire
"Interest Groups and Lobbying will challenge students to rethink their assumptions about interest groups, and think more critically about the problems of representation in the interest group age."
—Bryan McQuide, Grand View University and University of Idaho
"Perhaps most useful for teaching students about lobbying are the case studies on national parks, gun control, and the US Chamber of Commerce."
—Heath Brown, Seton Hall University"This book will be of value to all who seek to understand the mobilization of interests from the grassroots to the inner corridors of power."
—Michael T. Heaney, University of Michigan
"Holyoke provides a rich theoretical account of interest groups, along with both quantitative data and in-depth case studies to understand how organizations form and shape public policy in a variety of contexts."
—Paul M. Collins Jr., University of North Texas
