Organized interests often strategically target specific members of Congress based on their stance regarding a proposal's success likelihood and institutional influence.
🔍 Targeting Behavior: Contrary to targeting all members equally, interest groups focus efforts on those who are undecided or weak supporters at critical stages.
💡 New Approach Needed: Previous research relied too heavily on observational tactics without experimental testing. This study introduces a novel method: conjoint experiments involving federal lobbyists and policy advocates themselves — providing more nuanced insights.
📊 What the Findings Mean: The results suggest interest groups prioritize members where influence is strategically advantageous for advancing proposals currently blocked or vulnerable in the legislative process.
📌 Implications for Political Science Research: These findings highlight how understanding influence coalitions requires attention to targeted access strategies, particularly those aimed at undecided actors navigating complex political landscapes.
| On Whose Door to Knock? Organized Interests' Strategic Pursuit of Access to Members of Congress was authored by David Miller. It was published by Wiley in LSQ in 2022. |
