ABSTRACT

This chapter shows the value of subnational interest group studies in the study of American interest groups. It identifies changing patterns of interest group activity in the states and regions. Variations in political development have always made regionalism an important aspect of American politics. To study only national groups and their activities in Washington, D.C., provides a very narrow perspective of the role and significance of interest groups in the American political and governmental system. In contrast, in the states and localities there are no common data sources. Interest group studies in the United States have concentrated predominantly on national groups and the nation's capital because of three major factors. First, Washington, D.C., appears to be the place where the most significant public policy decisions in the nation are made. Second is the relative ease of collecting data. Third is what might be termed the "cumulative effect.".