Book contents
- Stealth Lobbying
- Stealth Lobbying
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Acknowledgments
- 1 Identifying the Hidden Influence of Lobbyists in Public Policymaking
- 2 Scheduling Influence and Buying Access
- 3 The Strategic Behavior of Individual Lobbyists and Their PACs
- 4 Stealth Fundraising and Legislative Favors
- 5 Stealth Lobbying, Stealth Contributions, and the Affordable Care Act
- 6 Conclusions about Money in Politics
- References
- Index
3 - The Strategic Behavior of Individual Lobbyists and Their PACs
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 14 July 2022
- Stealth Lobbying
- Stealth Lobbying
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Acknowledgments
- 1 Identifying the Hidden Influence of Lobbyists in Public Policymaking
- 2 Scheduling Influence and Buying Access
- 3 The Strategic Behavior of Individual Lobbyists and Their PACs
- 4 Stealth Fundraising and Legislative Favors
- 5 Stealth Lobbying, Stealth Contributions, and the Affordable Care Act
- 6 Conclusions about Money in Politics
- References
- Index
Summary
For decades, scholars sought to evaluate the influence of lobbying by using the data available to them – political action committee (PAC) contributions. As we have seen, the literature on PACs has been inconclusive about the influence of these labor, public interest, and corporate groups on congressional votes (Lowery 2013). But like a person who searches for their keys under the streetlight because that is all they can see, identifying positive evidence of lobbyists’ influence requires looking beyond the obvious. It requires moving into the dark.
In this chapter, I shine a light on recently available data that have scarcely been studied before. I use these data to infer lobbyists’ intentions when making campaign contributions. I argue that in the early days of required reporting of individual lobbyists’ contributions, lobbyists’ stealth efforts were evident – if one looks carefully.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Stealth LobbyingInterest Group Influence and Health Care Reform, pp. 60 - 96Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2022