New Directions in Interest Group Politics: (New Directions in American Politics)

This book explores China's place in the 'new international order', from both the international perspective and from the perspective within China. It discusses how far the new international order, as outlined by George Bush in 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the liberation of Kuwait in the Gulf War, with its notions of 'international order', as viewed by the United States, and with the United States seeing itself as the single dominant power, applies to China. The contributors offer the implications, both positive and negative, of China's growing economic power, and the possibility that China will increase its military power. They also examine the idea that the Chinese leadership is being carried along itself by events in China, which it does not fully control, and that other growing forces within China, such as nationalism, increasing social grievances, structural instability, and rivalry between the centre and the regions potentially work against China's growing strength in the international arena. Considering traditional Chinese notions of 'international' power, where the world is seen as sino-centric, with neighbouring countries subservient to China in varying degrees, the book argues that this represents a fundamentally different view of the international order, one where the equal sovereignty of every state does not apply, where there is an acknowledged hierarchy of power, and where domestic and international issues are highly interdependent.

Table of Contents:
Preface.1: Group Mobilization from the Economy, Society, and Government; Matt Grossmann 2. How Membership Associations Change the Balance of Representation in Washington (And How They Don’t); Kay Lehman Schlozman and Philip Edward Jones 3. Grassroots Mobilization and Outside Lobbying; Edward Walker 4. The Paradoxes of Inequality and Interest Group Representation; Dara Z. Strolovitch 5. Political Parties and Ideology: Interest Groups in Context; Hans Noel 6. Why Lobbyists for Competing Interests Often Cooperate; Thomas T. Holyoke 7. How Will the Internet Change American Interest Groups?; David Karpf 8. Attack of the Super PACs? Interest Groups in the 2012 Elections; Michael Franz 9. When Does Money Buy Votes? Campaign Contributions and Policymaking; Christopher Witko 10. Understanding the Influence of Lobbying in the U.S. Congress: Preferences, Networks, Money, and Bills; Holly Brasher and Jason Britt 11. Interest Groups, the White House, and the Administration; Heath Brown 12. Interest Groups in the Judicial Arena; Paul M. Collins, Jr. 13. Evaluating Reforms of Lobbying and Money in Politics; Lee Drutman 14. Conclusion; Matt Grossmann

About the Author :
Matt Grossmann is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Michigan State University and Director of the Michigan Policy Network. He is the author of The Not-So-Special Interests: Interest Groups, Public Representation, and American Governance (Stanford University Press, 2012) and co-author of Campaigns & Elections: Rules, Reality, Strategy, Choice (W. W. Norton, 2011). His research appears in the Journal of Politics, American Politics Research, and twelve other journals. His next book, Artists of the Possible: Governing Networks and American Policy Change Since 1945 will be published by Oxford University Press. More information is available at www.mattg.org.

Review :
"The strong and consistent focus of the essays in New Directions in Interest Group Politics on core theoretical questions-and their willingness to bring data to bear on those questions-will almost certainly enliven and deepen classroom discussions about the politics of interest representation." -David Lowery, Pennsylvania State University "This book provides wide ranging perspectives on interest groups that are grounded in the contributors' own research. I wish more textbooks did this so well." -Beth Leech, Rutgers University "This book enlarges our understanding of the American policymaking process by illuminating how organized interests advance their agendas in an age of hyper-partisanship, rising economic inequality, and instant communication. Together the chapters represent an important contribution to the study of American pluralism." -Kristin A. Goss, Duke University "New Directions in Interest Group Politics provides readers with an impressive range of cutting-edge research from top scholars on the most relevant topics on interest group politics. Each chapter covers foundational literature and exciting new work in a way that is, at once, both accessible and thought-provoking." -Daniel C. Lewis, University of New Orleans "Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. -- J. Heyrman, Berea College, CHOICE 2014