Many Americans lament the way special interests sway politicians with campaign contributions and lobbying, procuring privileged treatment even when the public is opposed. Research shows, however, that contributions and lobbying determine public policy much less than most people think. When major issues arise, party, ideology and public opinion matter much more.
References
1.
AnsolabehereStephende FigueiredoJohnSnyderJames M.Jr. “Why Is There So Little Money in U.S. Politics?”Journal of Economic Perspectives (forthcoming). An analysis of how much money is given to political campaigns, the influence of campaign contributions on members of Congress and a discussion of why people contribute to campaigns.
2.
BursteinPaulLintonApril. “The Impact of Political Parties, Interest Groups, and Social Movement Organizations on Public Policy.”Social Forces81 (December 2002): 380–408. An overview of how strongly policy is affected by the party balance, interest groups and social movement organizations.
3.
SmithMark A.American Business and Political Power.Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000. Smith analyzes how well bills supported by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce do in Congress, comparing the influence of business to that of public opinion.
4.
WrightJohn R.“Tobacco Industry PACs and the Nation's Health.” In The Interest Group Connection, eds. HerrnsonPaul S.ShaikoRonaldWilcoxClyde. Chatham, NJ: Chatham House Publishers, 1997. Wright shows that the apparent impact of tobacco industry PACs on Congress has been greatly exaggerated.
