Research Guide to U.S
and International
Interest Groups
Edited by Clive S. Thomas
Westport, Connecticut
London
Contents
Preface
1
xv
Introduction: The Study of Interest Groups
1
1.1. Special Features of This Book and the Purpose of This
Chapter
1
1.2. Defining Interest Group and Related Terms
1.3. The Functions of Interest Groups: Their Private Goals and
Public Roles
2
3
7
1.4. Problems of Studying Interest Groups
10
1.5. Theoretical Approaches in the Study of Interest Groups and
the Schools of Focus of Scholars
12
1.6. The Two Major Categories of Subject Matter of Interest
Group Studies
16
1.7. Types of Studies and Methods of Study
18
1.8. Guidelines for Using This Book
20
Sources of Information on Interest Groups in the
American Political System: An Overview
25
2.1. Introduction
25
2.2. Popular Writing: Newspapers, Magazines, and Books
25
2.3. Textbooks
26
'
2.4. Conference Papers, Journal Articles, and Monographs
29
CONTENTS
2.5. Major Categories of Research and Their Findings
30
2.6. Primary Sources of Data on Interest Groups
35
2.7. Conclusion: Looking beyond the American Perspective
37
General Theories ofInterest Group Activity: Pluralism,
Corporatism, Neo-Marxism, and Other Explanations
39
3.1. Introduction
39
3.2. Pluralism and Its Modifications
41
3.3. Elitism
47
3.4. Corporatism and Neocorporatist Theory
48
3.5. Political Economy Approaches and Explanations
53
3.6. The Responsible or Strong Political Party Model
57
3.7. Statist-Centered Approaches
60
3.8. Neo-Marxist Approaches
62
3.9. T h e New Institutionalist Perspective on Interest Groups
63
Interest Groups and the Socioeconomic and Political System
61
4.1. Introduction: A Minimally Investigated Topic
67
4.2. Interest Group System Development and Variation: An
Overview
69
4.3. Interest Groups and the Structure of the Political and
Governmental System
75
4.4. Interest Groups and Political Culture
79
4.5. Interest Groups and Political Parties
82
4.6. Interest Groups and the Social Structure
85
4.7. Interest Groups and Economic Development
87
4.8. Interest Groups and Public Opinion
89
4.9. National Cultures and Lobbying: The Case of the European
Union and Its Implications
91
4.10. Peak Associations
93
The Origin, Maintenance, Organization, and Mortality
of Interest Groups
.
95
5.1. Introduction
95
5.2. The Origin and Maintenance of Interest Groups
95
5.3. The Internal Organization of Interest Groups
104
5.4. The Composition and Development of the Interest
Group System and Group Competition
viii
107
Contents
6
5.5. The Mortality of Interest Groups
109
5.6. Conclusions: Subjects for Further Study
110
Interest Groups in National, State, Local, and
Intergovernmental Politics in the United States
113
6.1. Introduction
113
6.2. The Interest Group Universe in Washington, D.C.,
and the States
7
114
6.3. Interest Groups in U.S. National Politics
118
6.4. State Interest Groups
122
6.5. Interest Groups in Local Politics
128
6.6. The Intergovernmental Activity of Interest Groups
131
6.7. Public Knowledge of and Attitudes toward Interest Groups
and Lobbyists in the United States
135
Interests and Interest Groups in the Public Policy Process:
(I) Strategies and Tactics
<
139
7.1. Introduction to Chapters 7, 8, and 9
139
7.2. Strategy and Tactics: Placing U.S. Practice in Perspective
140
7.3. Nonfinancial Involvement of Interest Groups in the
Election Process
144
7.4. Political Action Committees (PACs)
147
7.5. Interest Group Involvement in Direct Democracy
149
7.6. Lobbyists: Definitions, Types, and Varying Designations
151
7.7. The Role of Lobbyists
154
7.8. Lobbyists in Washington, D.C., and the American
States
160
7.9. Lobbyists in Countries Outside the United States
165
7.10. Legislative Lobbying
167
7.11. Executive Branch Lobbying in Washington, D.C.
176
7.12. Judicial Branch Lobbying in the United States
179
7.13. Grassroots Lobbying
181
7.14. Use of the Media, Public Relations, and Advertising
184
7.15. Protests, Demonstrations, and Violence
7.16. Iron Triangles, Policy Networks, and Other
Subgovernmental Systems of Interest Group Activity
186
7.17. Interest Group Power and Influence
192
IX
188
CONTENTS
8
Interests and Interest Groups in the Public Policy Process:
(II) The Traditional Interests—Business, Labor, Agriculture,
Education, and Government
191
8.1. Classifying Interests and Interest Groups: Problems and
Approaches
197
8.2. Business Interests and Politics: An Overview
203
8.3. Chambers of Commerce
205
8.4. The Energy Lobby
206
8.5. Utility Interests
208
8.6. Industrial and Manufacturing Interests
209
8.7. Banking and Finance Interests
211
8.8. Insurance Interests
212
8.9. Agricultural Interests
213
8.10. Labor Interest Groups
217
8.11. Education Interest Groups
221
8.12. Selected Aspects of the Government Lobby in the
United States
223
8.12.1. U.S. States Lobbying in Washington, D.C.
223
8.12.2. U.S. State Agencies as a Lobbying Force
225
8.123. The Local Government Lobby in the United States
226
8.13. Nonmembership Lobbies
228
8.13.1. Private Foundations
8.13.2. Think Tanks
9
228
'
230
8.14. Interest Groups and U.S. Foreign Policy
231
8.15. The Foreign Lobby in the United States
233
Interests and Interest Groups in the Public Policy Process:
(III) The New Interests and Groups
235
9.1. Introduction
235
9.2. Ethnic and Racial Minority Groups
236
9.2.1. African Americans
236
9.2.2. Latinos
231
9.2.3. Native Americans
239
9.2.4. Asian Americans
2 40
9.3. Indigenous Peoples' Interest Groups
241
9.4. The Women's Lobby
243
Contents
10
11
9.5. Public Interest Groups
245
9.6. Good Government Groups
247
9.7. Criminal Justice Interest Groups
248
9.8. Social Issue and Identity Interests
249
9.8.1. Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Interests
249
9.8.2. The Poverty, Welfare, and Hunger Lobby
251
9.8.3. Animal Rights Interest Groups
252
9.9. Pro-Life and Pro-Choice Interest Groups
253
9.10. Environmental Interest Groups
255
9.11. Consumer Groups
256
9.12. Health-Care Interest Groups
257
9.13. Religious Interests
259
9.14. The Senior Citizens'Lobby
261
9.15. Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs)
263
9.16. Governance Interests: Antitax and Term Limit Groups
265
9.17. P r o - and Anti-Gun Control Interest Groups
266
9.18. The Tobacco and Antismoking Lobbies
267
9.19. Civil Liberties Interest Groups and Lobbies in the
United States
269
9.20. Human Rights Interests: Definitional Problems, CrossReferences, and Supplementary Sources
271
Comparative Interest Group Studies
215
10.1. Comparative Analysis and Interest Group Studies
275
10.2. The Evolution of Comparative Interest Group Studies:
The Dominance and Resilience of the Neocorporatist
Approach
276
10.3. Variations in Research: Differences in Approach, Focus,
and Scope
278
10.4. A Critical Assessment of Cross-National Interest
Group Studies
287
10.5. Additional Future Directions for Comparative Interest
Group Research
295
Interest Groups in Selected Western European and Other
Advanced Pluralist Democracies
299
11.1. The "Recent Discovery" of Interest Groups
XI
2 99
CONTENTS
301
11.2. The United Kingdom
11.3. Continental Europe
303
$-11.3.1. Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and the Benelux
Countries
12
303
11.3.2. France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Greece
305
11.4. Interest Representation in the European Union
309
11.5. The Nordic Countries
311
11.6. Canada
314
11.7. Australia and New Zealand
315
11.8. Japan
317
11.9. Israel
319
Interest Groups in Selected Nonpluralist Regimes,
Transitional Democracies, and Developing Societies
323
12.1. T h e Characteristics of Interests and Interest G r o u p
Activity and Approaches to Studying Interests
13
323
12.2. India and South Asia
327
12.3. T h e People's Republic of China (PRC)
329
12.4. Taiwan—Republic of China ( R O C )
330
12.5. T h e Middle East and N o r t h Africa (Excluding Israel)
331
12.6. South Africa
332
12.7. Sub-Saharan Africa
333
12.8. Eastern Europe: Communist and Transitional Systems
335
12.9. Russia: Post-Communist Interest G r o u p Activity
337
12.10. Latin America
338
Interest Groups in International and Transnational Politics 341
13.1. International and Transnational Lobbying Defined
341
13.2. Early Literature on Transnationalism and Regime Theory
342
13.3. Reviving Transnationalism
343
13.4. Sources and Targets of Transnational Lobbying
345
13.5. Targets of Transnational Lobbying: (I) The State
345
13.6. Targets of Transnational Lobbying: (II) International
Organizations
347
13.7. Sources of Transnational Lobbying: (I) Issue-Specific
Interest Groups
348
Xll
Contents
14
13.8. Sources of Transnational Lobbying: (II) Religious and
Cultural Movements
353
13.9. Questions for Future Research
354
Concerns about Interest Groups: Questions of Democracy,
Representation, Bias, and Regulation
351
14.1. The Concerns and the Major Approach for Addressing
Them: An Overview
357
14.2. Representativeness and Bias in Interest Group Activity
in Liberal Democracies: An Inconclusive Debate
15
359
14.3. Approaches to Regulating Interest Group Activity
369
14.4. Regulation of Interest Groups in the United States
374
14.4.1. Federal Regulation
374
14.4.2. State and Local Regulation
311
14.5. Regulation of Interest Representation in the European
Union (EU)
379
14.6. An Evaluation of Lobby Regulation and Its Lessons:
The United States and Other Liberal Democracies
381
Conducting Research on Interest Groups
391
15.1. Introduction
391
15.2. Academic Research on Interest Groups
391
15.3. The Importance and Elements of a Research Design
392
15.4. Research Methodologies
396
15.5. Keys to Completing a Successful Study
401
References
403
Index
501
About the Editor and Contributors
513
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