Jeffrey M. Berry

David C. Kimball

Frank R. Baumgartner

Marie Hojnacki

Beth L. Leech

Washington lobbies are far less influential than political rhetoric suggests. In fact, sixty percent of recent lobbying campaigns failed to change policy despite millions of dollars spent trying. This book explains why.

Who Wins, Who Loses, and Why

Lobbying and Policy Change

Sarah Sobieraj

A stimulating expose on how the roots of today's partisan rage lie in the "outrage industry" - deregulated, commodified media markets that will do anything for money and attention.

Political Opinion Media and the New Incivility

The Outrage Industry

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.

In recent years there has been growing recognition of the role played in American politics by groups such as Common Cause, the Sierra Club, and Zero Population Growth. This book considers their work in terms of their origins and development, resources, patterns of recruitment, decision-making processes, and lobbying tactics. How do public interest groups select the issues on which they work? How do they allocate their resources? How do they choose strategies for influencing the federal government? Professor Berry examines these questions, focusing in particular on the process by which organizations make critical decisions. His findings are based on a survey of eighty-three national organizations with offices in Washington, D.C. He analyzes in detail the operation of two groups in which he worked as a participant. Originally published in 1977. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

The Political Behavior of Public Interest Groups

Lobbying for the People

Kenneth Janda

Jerry Goldman

Kevin W. Hula

Deborah Deborah

THE CHALLENGE OF DEMOCRACY: AMERICAN GOVERNMENT IN GLOBAL POLITICS, THE ESSENTIALS introduces new co-author Debra Schildkraut to this stellar author team. This best-selling American government text is highly acclaimed for the non-ideological framework it uses to explore three themes: freedom, order, and equality as political values; the majoritarianism versus pluralism debate; and globalization’s effect on American politics. Using an easy to follow approach, with chapters and subheadings numbered and organized by learning outcomes, and a new end of chapter “Assessing Your Understanding” section where students can test their knowledge, the ninth edition provides a solution for teaching and assessing course learning outcomes. Extensively updated, this condensed edition includes new examples, figures, data, and current discussions. The authors include balanced coverage of Obama’s historical presidency and coverage and analysis of the 2012 presidential primary campaign and election. This ninth edition of THE CHALLENGE OF DEMOCRACY, THE ESSENTIALS is an abridged version of the twelfth edition of THE CHALLENGE OF DEMOCRACY. See “Features” for details. Important Notice: Media content referenced within the product description or the product text may not be available in the ebook version.

Jeffrey M. Berry

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