Date on Master's Thesis/Doctoral Dissertation

5-2020

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Degree Name

M.A.

Department

Political Science

Degree Program

Political Science, MA

Committee Chair

Gainous, Jason

Committee Co-Chair (if applicable)

Powers, Robert

Committee Member

Powers, Robert

Committee Member

Gray, Tricia

Author's Keywords

interest groups; group theory; pluralism; Kentucky politics; state politics; lobbying

Abstract

This thesis presents a practitioner’s view on interest groups and interest group theory based primarily on Mancur Olson’s conclusions that small, organized minority interests have an advantage over the large, disorganized majority interests in the policymaking process; it tests the “why” behind this theory through an examination of a variety of factors, including the influence of money, the power of communications tools deployed by these interests, and the lobbyists’ role. It includes an introduction plus four chapters, including literature review, research methods, participant observations and in-depth interviews, and conclusion. The research methods included primarily participant observation based on a two-decade career as a lobbyist and government official plus a series of interviews with other practitioners and public officials. The thesis finds that smaller, minority interests often do prevail based on their access to and use of resources unavailable or limited to the larger disorganized majority interests.

Download

Share

COinS