Americans rail against so-called special interests but at the same time many members of society are themselves represented in one form or another by organized groups trying to affect the policymaking progress. This concise but thorough text demonstrates that interest groups are involved in the political system at all levels of government – federal, state, and local – and in all aspects of political activity, from election campaigns to agenda setting to lawmaking to policy implementation. Rather than an anomaly or distortion of the political system, it is a normal and healthy function of a pluralist society and democratic governance. Nonetheless, Nownes warns of the dangers of unwatched interest group activity, especially in the realms of the electoral process and issue advocacy. Interest Groups in American Politics, Second Edition, is grounded by the role of information in interest group activity, a theme that runs through the entire book. This much anticipated revision of Nownes’s text retains a student friendly tone and thoroughly updates the references to interest group research, as well as adds a new chapter on the connections between interest groups and political parties. Numerous figures and tables throughout the book help students visualize important trends and information.

Interest Group Politics in America is a concise, readable, and up-to-date introduction to the study of group power. This third edition of the book gives expanded attention to the changing dynamics of power politics in America; new media venues and grassroots organizing techniques; the role of PACs, referenda, and direct action; and the perennial issue of reform.

Describes the development of interest groups in the USA mainly from the 1960s to the 1990s. Using the results of two national surveys of all membership associations operating in Washington in 1980 and 1985, examines the ways in which different types of social groups develop the organizational structures necessary to represent themselves. Describes methods for financing these groups and investigates the strategies they use to influence American politics, including litigation strategies. Considers occupationally based groups in the profit sector and in the nonprofit sector and citizens groups which are open to all. Examines the extent of influence of different groups.

The Oxford Handbooks of American Politics are the essential guide to the study of American political life in the 21st Century. With engaging new contributions from the major figures in the field of political parties and interest groups this Handbook is a key point of reference for anyone working in American Politics today.

Interest group scholarship has so far focused mainly on national politics and has had very little to say about interest groups in American cities, counties, school districts, and special districts. This special issue is a step toward remedying that: it is a collection of articles and essays that examine some of the interest groups that are commonly active in US local politics. The contributions herein discuss real estate developers, tenant organizations, teachers' unions, police unions, and local PACs—covering topics such as how they are organized, how they engage in local politics, some of the constraints on their influence, and the nuanced ways in which ideology and identities can sometimes shape what coalitions are possible in the local context. By bringing this work together in one place, in a journal devoted to research on interest groups, the hope is that this special issue will help to cement “interest groups in local politics” as the recognizable research focus it deserves to be.

In this introductory American politics text, Cal Jillson provides not only a sense of how politics works today but also how institutions, systems, political participation, and policies have developed over time to produce today's political environment in the United States. This historical context provides the necessary backdrop for students to understand why things work the way they do now. Going one step further, the book identifies critical reforms and how American democracy might work better. In a streamlined presentation, Jillson delivers a concise and engaging narrative to help students understand the complexities and importance of American politics. Key features: The 4th edition is thoroughly updated, including full analysis of the 2006 mid-term elections and shift in partisan control of Congress. Chapter-opening Focus Questions; illustrative figures and charts; "Let's Compare" and "Pro & Con" boxes; key terms; time lines; and end-of-chapter suggested readings and web resources. Companion website for students (http://americangovernment.routledge.com) features chapter summaries, focus questions, practice quizzes, glossary flashcards, participation activities, and links. Instructor's resources on the web and on CD-ROM, including Testbank, Instructor's Manual, figures and tables from the text, and lecture outlines.

"An introductory American government textbook should do more than simply tell students that politics is relevant today, that it will affect their lives in meaningful ways. Students are best prepared to recognize this basic fact when they understand the bigger picture of how the system works, how it got that way, and what are the possibilities for change. Cal Jillson's American Government: Political Development and Institutional Change shows students how the nation's past is present in all aspects of contemporary politics, using the dynamics of change as a tool to understand how politics works and how institutions, systems, avenues of participation, and policies have evolved over time to produce today's political environment in the United States. Going one step further, Jillson identifies the critical question of how American democracy might evolve further, focusing in every chapter on reform and change into the future"--

Every section and every feature in the book has one goal in mind: to get students to think critically and be skeptical of received wisdom. Serving as a true aid to teachers, each chapter is designed to build students' analytical abilities. By introducing them to the seminal work in the field and showing them how to employ the themes of power and citizenship, this proven text builds confidence in students who want to take an active part in their communities and governmentuto play their part in keeping the republic, and to consider the consequences of that engagement.

Offers an introduction to the political successes, failures, and persistent challenges of African-American political participation in the United States. This book provides the reader with an analysis of what appears to be 'irreconcilable differences' between the American political system and its historically subjugated constituency groups.