Public interest groups have many strategic options, including “insider” strategies, “ outsider” strategies, coalition building, and public policy research. Although group resources should affect these strategic choices, the presence of friends and enemies in the political environment should matter as well. We examine the evidence by assessing the behavior of 50 child advocacy groups that seek to influence public policy at the state level. We find that enemies motivate public interest groups more than friends but that friends also matter, at least for decisions to invest in public policy research.
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