The New Liberalism : The Rising Power of Citizen Groups / Jeffrey M. Berry.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Berry, Jeffrey M., 1948-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Liberalism--United States.

Liberalism.

Political planning--United States.

Political planning.

Political participation--United States.

Political participation.

Lobbying--United States.

Lobbying.

Pressure groups--United States.

Pressure groups.

Genre:

Electronic books.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xi, 220 pages)

Place of Publication:

Washington, District of Columbia : Brookings Institution Press, [1999]

Summary:

If you think liberalism is dead, think again. In this sure-to-be-controversial book, Jeffrey M. Berry argues that modern liberalism is not only still alive, it's actually thriving. Today's new liberalism has evolved from a traditional emphasis on bread-and-butter economic issues to a form he calls "postmaterialism"--quality-of-life concerns such as enhancing the environment, protecting consumers, or promoting civil rights. Berry credits the new liberalism's success to the rise of liberal citizen lobbying groups. By analyzing the activities of Congress during three sessions (1963, 1979, and 1991), he demonstrates the correlation between the increasing lobbying activities of citizen groups and a dramatic shift in the American political agenda from an early 1960s emphasis on economic equality to today's postmaterialist issues. Although conservative groups also began to emphasize postmaterial concerns--such as abortion and other family value issues--Berry finds that liberal citizen groups have been considerably more effective than conservative ones at getting their goals onto the congressional agenda and enacted into legislation. The book provides many examples of citizen group issues that Congress enacted into law, successes when citizen groups were in direct conflict with business interests and when demands were made on behalf of traditionally marginalized constituencies, such as the women's and civil rights movements. Berry concludes that although liberal citizen groups make up only a small portion of the thousands of lobbying organizations in Washington, they have been, and will continue to be, a major force in shaping the political landscape.

Contents:

Not dead

The rise of citizen groups

The rise of postmaterialism

The power of citizen groups

Liberals ascendant

Rich in resources

Liberalism transformed.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (p. 190-208) and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9780815791034

0815791038

OCLC:

1132220250