Lobbying and Policy Change: Who Wins, Who Loses, and Why

Frank R. Baumgartner · Jeffrey M. Berry · Marie Hojnacki · Beth L. Leech · David C. Kimball

Aug 2009 · University of Chicago Press

About this ebook

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.

Ratings and reviews

This is a necessary read for any student of lobbying and interest groups. The magnitude of this study is remarkable and its findings are difficult to argue against. It will probably become a required text for classes on interest groups and for many public policy classes. So if you are someone who is hungry for an evidenced based account of how lobbying works in Washington, then read Lobbying and Policy Change.

About the author

Frank R. Baumgartner is the Bruce R. Miller and Dean D. LaVigne Professor of Political Science at Penn State University. Jeffrey M. Berry is the John Richard Skuse Professor of Political Science at Tufts University. Marie Hojnacki is associate professor of political science at Penn State University. David C. Kimball is associate professor of political science at the University of Missouri–St. Louis. Beth L. Leech is associate professor of political science at Rutgers University.