An Analysis of the Role of Special Interest Groups in the Formation of the Cooperative Extension Service

Abstract

In this description and analysis of the political role of special interest groups in the formation of the Cooperative Extension Service the events and activities leading up to the passage of the Smith-Lever Act are examined. Attention is paid to the growing formalization of early extension education activities and to the increasing collaboration among special interest groups from agriculture, education and private enterprise in support of a national extension program. The conflict over the Smith-Lever Act in Congress is reviewed, and the significant innovations contained in the Smith-Lever Act are examined. Finally, the authorization of the Cooperative Extension Service and the establishment of a formal relationship between federal, state, and county governments, and the university signal the beginning of a trend towards bringing higher education into the public domain as a political actor.

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