Choice Reviews Online · 1999 · 311 citations · 0 references
Public AffairsPolitical SciencePublic PolicyCollective BargainingLegislative PoliticsLobbyingCoalition BuildingCoalition FormationCoalition PoliticsInterest GroupsLegislative Coalition BuildingLegislative CoalitionsCollective Action TheoryCollective LobbyingInterest Group BehaviorInterest Group FormationInterest Group LobbyingInterest Group TheoryPolicy Formulation ProcessTobacco Control Legislation
Organized interests increasingly rely on coalitions to win major battles, such as tobacco and air safety legislation, combining clout even when groups differ. The book investigates why, when, and how lobbyists use coalition strategies, positioning coalitions as institutions of collective leadership, bargaining, and strategy for member organizations. Using collective action theory and 130 interviews across transportation, education, and civil rights, the study examines how coalition use varies across policy stages and activities. The study reveals that the communications revolution is reshaping interest group tactics and provides the most detailed analysis of coalition influence, offering scholars and students a fresh, accessible perspective.
Today organized interests fight most of their major battles within coalitions. Whether joining forces to address tobacco legislation or proposed air safety regulations, Washington lobbyists with seemingly little in common are combining their clout to get results. Kevin Hula here examines why coalition strategies have emerged as a dominant lobbying technique, when lobbyists use them, and how these strategies affect their activities. His is the first book to focus on the formation and use of coalitions by lobbyists, examining the broader scope of interest group coalitions and explaining their roles as institutions of collective leadership, bargaining, and strategy for member organizations. Combining collective action theory with data gleaned from 130 interviews with lobbyists and interest group leaders in the fields of transportation, education, and civil rights, Hula explores how the use of coalitions differs at various stages of the policy process and with different activities. In the course of his study, he also shows how the communications revolution is changing interest group tactics. The single most detailed work available on this subject, Lobbying Together offers scholars and students alike a fresh and accessible look at this increasingly important factor in the policy process.