
The Population Ecology of Interest Representation
Lobbying Communities in the American States
The University of Michigan Press
Will be published approx. on 15. May 1996
Book
Hardback
320 pages
978-0-472-10683-7 (ISBN)
Description
This examination of lobbying communities explores how interest group populations are constructed and how they influence politics and public policy. By examining how populations of interest groups are comprised, this work fills an important gap between existing theories of the origins of individual interest groups and studies of interest group influence. The population ecology model of interest communities developed here builds on insights first developed in population biology and later employed by organizational ecologists. The model's central premise is that it is the environmental forces confronting interest organizations that most directly shape the contours of interest populations.
After examining the demography of interest organizations in the fifty American states, the population ecology model is used to account for variations in the density and diversity of their interest communities, the nature of competition among similar interest organizations to establish viable niches, and the impact of alternative configurations of interest communities on the legislative process and the policies it produces. These empirical findings suggest that the environment of interest communities is highly constraining, limiting their size, composition, and potential impact on politics.
Virginia Gray is Professor of Political Science, University of Minnesota. David Lowery is Burton Craige Professor of Political Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
After examining the demography of interest organizations in the fifty American states, the population ecology model is used to account for variations in the density and diversity of their interest communities, the nature of competition among similar interest organizations to establish viable niches, and the impact of alternative configurations of interest communities on the legislative process and the policies it produces. These empirical findings suggest that the environment of interest communities is highly constraining, limiting their size, composition, and potential impact on politics.
Virginia Gray is Professor of Political Science, University of Minnesota. David Lowery is Burton Craige Professor of Political Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Ann Arbor
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
29 drawings, 33 tables
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
ISBN-13
978-0-472-10683-7 (9780472106837)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Virginia Gray is Professor of Political Science, University of Minnesota.
David Lowery is Burton Craige Professor of Political Science, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
David Lowery is Burton Craige Professor of Political Science, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
Content
The importance of populations -- Conventional research and population questions -- The population ecology approach -- Population ecology and organized interests -- Describing state interest communities -- Population entry and exit -- The ESA model of population density -- The ESA model of population diversity -- The structure of interest communities -- Interest communities and legislative activity -- Impacts on the economy, policy, and politics -- Findings and future work.