Partisan polarization and corporate lobbying: information, demand, and conflict

Abstract

How do political environment and organization characteristics combine to impact lobbying behavior? I answer this question using a time series analysis of an original dataset comprised of corporate lobbying disclosure reports, made available through the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995. I theorize that polarization will drive increases in lobbying efforts toward Congress in particular, due to the increasing challenges of legislating under such conditions. The findings indicate that polarization does appear to increase lobbying in Congress, while firm wealth, combined with constituency-based connections to members of Congress, decreases lobbying efforts, perhaps due to increased efficacy of efforts (quality over quantity). These findings, when paired with recent evidence regarding the relationship between leadership and non-leadership members of Congress, suggest that lobbyists may be becoming an increasingly integral source of information for members of Congress who do not hold leadership positions.