Basic interests : the importance of groups in politics and in political science / Frank R. Baumgartner and Beth L. Leech.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Baumgartner, Frank R., 1958-

Contributor:

Leech, Beth L., 1961-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Lobbying--United States.

Lobbying.

Pressure groups--United States.

Pressure groups.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (245 pages)

Edition:

Course Book

Place of Publication:

Princeton, N.J. : Princeton University Press, c1998.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

A generation ago, scholars saw interest groups as the single most important element in the American political system. Today, political scientists are more likely to see groups as a marginal influence compared to institutions such as Congress, the presidency, and the judiciary. Frank Baumgartner and Beth Leech show that scholars have veered from one extreme to another not because of changes in the political system, but because of changes in political science. They review hundreds of books and articles about interest groups from the 1940's to today; examine the methodological and conceptual problems that have beset the field; and suggest research strategies to return interest-group studies to a position of greater relevance. The authors begin by explaining how the group approach to politics became dominant forty years ago in reaction to the constitutional-legal approach that preceded it. They show how it fell into decline in the 1970's as scholars ignored the impact of groups on government to focus on more quantifiable but narrower subjects, such as collective-action dilemmas and the dynamics of recruitment. As a result, despite intense research activity, we still know very little about how groups influence day-to-day governing. Baumgartner and Leech argue that scholars need to develop a more coherent set of research questions, focus on large-scale studies, and pay more attention to the context of group behavior. Their book will give new impetus and direction to a field that has been in the academic wilderness too long.

Contents:

Front matter

Contents

Illustrations

Preface

Introduction

Chapter One. Progress and Confusion

Chapter Two. Barriers to Accumulation

Chapter Three. The Rise and Decline of the Group Approach

Chapter Four. Collective Action and the New Literature on Interest Groups

Chapter Five. Bias and Diversity in the Interest-Group System

Chapter Six. The Dynamics of Bias

Chapter Seven. Building a Literature on Lobbying, One Case Study at a Time

Chapter Eight. Surveys of Interest-Group Activities

Chapter Nine. Learning from Experience

Appendix. Articles on Interest Groups Published in the American Political Science Review, 1950-1995

References

Index

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (p. [197]-216) and index.

Description based upon print version of record.

ISBN:

9786612458224

9781400800445

1400800447

9781400810956

1400810957

9781282458222

1282458221

9781400822485

1400822483

OCLC:

630535132