ABSTRACT
Interest groups are an integral part of the American political landscape. Groups are one prominent way to explain politics in the United States, but, more importantly, they are deeply rooted in the country's political culture-a part of society that is at once cause for great pride as well as frequent apprehension. A few political scientists write books about the future of politics, which typically turn out to be long on discussions of the past and short on prediction. There is little harm in speculating about the future based on extrapolations of contemporary trends and recognized propositions of political change— hence his use of the term prognostications instead of predictions. Political paradoxes juxtapose commonsense wisdom about political life with new empirical findings. Interest groups are an integral part of the American political landscape. The state also plays an important role in shaping and facilitating the formation of interest groups, along with their activities and influence.
