ABSTRACT
It is a matter of faith among most Americans that interest groups regularly get their way in Washington and elsewhere. Researchers at the American National Election Studies (ANES) have asked respondents the following question every two years since 1964: “Would you say the government is pretty much run by a few big interests looking out for themselves or that it is run for the benefit of all the people?”1 As Table 9.1 shows, in 2008, the most recent year for which data are available, 69 percent of respondents said, “run by a few big interests.”2 A majority of respondents have responded “run by a few big interests” in every year of the survey since 1970 except 2002 (in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks). Are the public’s perceptions accurate? Do interest groups and their lobbyists dominate American government and politics? Or are accounts of interest group influence mere hyperbole? These questions cut to the very heart of American democracy. After all, a government for interest groups and by interest groups is exactly what the founders of this country didn’t want. In this chapter, I examine what political scientists have learned about interest group influence. I begin with a look at the difficulties inherent in assessing the impact of lobbying on policy outcomes. From here, I examine some theories that purport to explain the role of interest groups in the policymaking process. Finally, I ask: When do interest groups get their way? Public Opinion about the Responsiveness of American Government, 1990–2008 https://www.niso.org/standards/z39-96/ns/oasis-exchange/table">
Question: “Would you say the government is pretty much run by a few big interests looking out for themselves or that it is run for the benefit of all the people?”
1990
1998
2002
2004
2008
Answer:
Few big interests
71%
64%
48%
56%
69%
Benefit of all
24%
32%
51%
40%
29%
Don’t know/Depends
5%
4%
2%
4%
2%
Source: National Election Study, University of Michigan, Center for Political Studies, “Is the Government Run for the Benefit of All, 1964–2008.”