Interest-Group and Party Influence Agents in the Legislative Process: A Comparative State Analysis

Abstract

Rather than focusing on the development and internal dynamics of interests groups, the study reported here examines the involvement and success of interest groups in relation to party-oriented influence agents in the legislative public policy-making process. Party influence agents studied are the governor, legislative majority party leadership, and legislative minority party leadership. Data employed are interest group, gubernatorial, and party leadership positions on a random sample of bills considered by the legislatures of California, Iowa, and Texas, with the ultimate success of each agent based on the legislature's final disposition of measures in which agents were involved and held the same or conflicting positions. This study strongly suggests overall that the two influence agents within government--governor and legislative majority party leadership--can effectively offset the lobbying efforts of interest groups. Of these two-party agents, however, no consistent pattern appears across states as to their relative importance.