Lobbying and Policymaking: The Public Pursuit of Private Interests

Built on interviews with over 100 lobbyists, Kenneth Godwin, Scott Ainsworth, and Erik Godwin show that much of the research on organized interests overlooks the lobbying of regulatory agencies even though it accounts for almost half of all lobbying―even though bureaucratic agencies have considerable leeway in the how they choose to implement law. This groundbreaking new book argues that lobbying activity is not mainly a struggle among competing interests over highly collective goods; rather, it′s the public provision of private goods.

Through a series of highly readable case studies, the authors employ both neopluralist and exchange perspectives to explore the lobbying activity that occurs in the later stages of the policymaking process which are typically less partisan, involve little conflict, and receive scant public attention. Lobbying and Policymaking: The Public Pursuit of Primvate Interests is an ideal way to expose students to cutting-edge research in an accessible, fascinating package.