Explaining the Anomalous Growth of Public Sector Lobbying in the American States, 1997-2007

31 Pages Posted: 1 Aug 2011 Last revised: 26 Aug 2011

See all articles by Virginia H. Gray

Virginia H. Gray

Department of Political Science

David Lowery

Leiden University

John Cluverius

University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill - Department of Political Science

Jeffrey J. Harden

University of Colorado at Boulder - Department of Political Science

Date Written: 2011

Abstract

We examine an anomaly – the rapid increase over the last decade in the number of local public sector organizations lobbying their state governments. After documenting this increase in public sector lobbying from 1997 to 2007, we discuss why this pattern is so theoretically anomalous and then develop several explanations that might account for this puzzle. These candidate explanations – representing attention to both the supply of and demand for lobbying – are then tested using the 1997 and 2007 data. We conclude by considering the implications of our findings for organization ecology theory and for more substantive fears about the diversity of lobbying communities.

Suggested Citation

Gray, Virginia H. and Lowery, David and Cluverius, John and Harden, Jeffrey J., Explaining the Anomalous Growth of Public Sector Lobbying in the American States, 1997-2007 (2011). APSA 2011 Annual Meeting Paper, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1901210

Virginia H. Gray

Department of Political Science ( email )

102 Ridge Road
Chapel Hill, NC NC 27514
United States
919-843-5602 (Phone)
919-962-0432 (Fax)

David Lowery

Leiden University ( email )

Postbus 9500
Leiden, Zuid Holland 2300 RA
Netherlands

John Cluverius

University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill - Department of Political Science ( email )

361 Hamilton Hall
CB#3265
Chapel Hill, NC 27599
United States

Jeffrey J. Harden (Contact Author)

University of Colorado at Boulder - Department of Political Science ( email )

333 UCB
Boulder, CO 80309-0333
United States

HOME PAGE: http://spot.colorado.edu/~jeha9919/

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