Lobbying and Policymaking
The Public Pursuit of Private Interests
- Kenneth Godwin - University of North Carolina, Charlotte, USA
- Scott H. Ainsworth - University of Georgia, USA
- Erik Godwin - Texas A & M University, USA
Through a series of highly readable case studies, the authors employ both neopluralist and exchange perspectives to explore the lobbying activity that occurs in the later stages of the policymaking process which are typically less partisan, involve little conflict, and receive scant public attention. Lobbying and Policymaking sheds new light on lobbying influence on the policy process, and is an ideal way to expose students to cutting-edge research in an accessible, fascinating package.
Ideal text for public affiars students new to politics
“Lobbying and Policymaking” by Godwin et al. is an excellent text for scholars studying interest groups, lobbying, and policy making. Authors are successful in comprehensively linking the policy process with lobbying activities. The claim about patterns of lobbying strategies being dependant on policy phase, and, especially, a finding about changing focus in the public debate from the need to secure collective goods to defending of private interests, is definitely worth of attention and further exploration.