| Description |
xvi, 306 pages : illustrations, map ; 25 cm |
| Contents |
1. Organized groups and the political system. Understanding organized groups: The lack of consensus. Moving ahead. The focus of analysis: Common Cause. Some caveats. Structure of the analysis -- 2. A unified framework for understanding citizens' decision making: A theory of experiential search. Toward a unified view. General analytic approaches to citizens' decision making. Members' decision making. A theory of experiential search. Common Cause and experiential search. Conclusions: Experiential search as a unified framework -- 3. Who contributes? Common Cause members: Painting a portrait. Common Cause members and the national citizenry. Sociodemographic differences. Political attitudes. Participatory activities. Summary. The Common Cause membership: Activists versus rank and file. Sociodemographic differences. Political attitudes. Participatory activities. Summary. Conclusions: Group members -- external and internal comparisons. General political attitudes. Specific political attitudes. Participatory activities -- 4. Why do citizens join groups? Joining -- the first step. Studying the membership choice. Why members think they joined. The determinants of membership: An individual-level analysis. Measurement. Estimation. Results. An aggregate-level replication. Choosing among public interest groups. Conclusions: The determinants of membership -- Appendix 4.1. Critique of Kau and Rubin -- Appendix 4.2. Formal presentation of WESML estimator -- 5. The internal politics of organizations I: Learning and retention. Life in the organization. Do members learn? Exploring the retention process. Measurement. Understanding retention. A validity check. Conclusions: Learning, the retention choice, and experiential search -- 6. The internal politics of organizations II: Activism. Separating the activists from the rank and file. Checkbook versus temporal activism. Checkbook activism and its determinants. Temporal activism: An introduction. Alternative scenarios. The costs and benefits of Common Cause activism. An empirical test: Activism and Common Cause. Measurement and estimation. Results. Activism: A validity test. A final note: Activism and retention as a joint commitment decision. Conclusions: Moving up -- 7. The internal politics of organizations III: Leadership behavior and the determinants of group goals. Moving from the "demand" to the "supply" side. Democratic processes at Common Cause. Members' attitudes toward representation. Shifting the issue agenda. The MX missile debate. A strange match: Common Cause versus MX. Theoretical perspectives on organizational goals. Common Cause, goal formation, and the MX missile. Making sense of it all: The politics of organizational goals. Conclusions: Leadership behavior and goal formation -- 8. Does group activity make a difference? The case of the MX missile. The policy linkage. Lobbying strategy and voting behavior. Setting the stage: The battle for the Peacekeeper. The role of the MX's opponents. Does lobbying make a difference? Measurement and estimation. Results. The structural determinants of lobbying. Conclusions: Voting, lobbying, and public policy -- 9. Does group activity make a difference? The politics of campaign finance. Returning to course. Campaign finance, the MX, and Common Cause. Charting the divisions. Events of 1985-1991. The entrepreneurs: Boren and Byrd. The first offensive: The push for PAC reform. The second offensive: Byrd joins the fray. Life after Byrd. Common Cause and campaign finance reform. Conclusions: Coalition formation and group influence -- 10. Conclusions: Citizens' preferences, internal politics, and public policy. Interest groups and representation. Individual choice, internal politics, and systemic influence. Individual choice behavior. Internal politics and goal formation. Systemic impact. The big picture. Linking citizens to policy. Viewing organizations. Some final thoughts |
| Analysis |
Politics Interest groups |
|
United States |
|
Politics Interest groups |
|
United States |
|
Accountability |
|
Case studies |
|
Common Cause (US) |
|
Community participation |
|
Lobbying |
|
Nonparty political bodies |
|
Organisational behaviour |
|
Overseas item |
|
United States |
| Notes |
Includes index |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages [293]-301) and index |
| Subject |
Common Cause (U.S.)
|
|
Common Cause
|
|
Lobbying -- United States.
|
|
Pressure groups -- United States.
|
| LC no. |
91031621 |
| ISBN |
0521415608 (hardback) |
|
0521425778 (paperback) |
|
