Jesse Goulding
Pronouns: He/Him/His
UROP Fellowship: Community College Summer Fellowship Program
Grand Rapids Community College
Research Mentor(s): Richard L. Hall, PhD
Ford School of Public Policy; Department of Political Science
Presentation Date: Wednesday, July 29, 2020 | Session 3 | Presenter: 4
Authors: Jesse Goulding, Richard Hall
Abstract
The term ‘lobbying’ conjures images of shady backroom deals, illicit financial transactions, and quid pro quo agreements. The actual function of lobbying within the American political system has been vastly misunderstood and under- researched. By examining lobbying not as a quid pro quo agreement but rather as a resource grant that legislators use to gather information, expertise, and craft solutions with their limited time and staff, we can better understand the purpose of lobbying as well as its costs. Utilizing data on over 14,000 legislator- lobbyist pairs, covering 150 interest groups and hundreds of Congress members, this project examines the reasons lobbyists seek access to lawmakers and the reasons legislators grant that access. The study reveals that far from swaying roll- call votes on the floor of Congress, interest groups target legislators that already agree with their positions. It is shown that campaign contributions signal agreement with legislators increasing interest group access, not buying congressional votes. The study shows that lobbyists gain access to legislators by subsidizing their limited time and effort with data and the labor of a professional staff. While this may seem harmless, by offering support to limited congressional resources, lobbyists mobilize influential legislators to invest their political capital and time into issues that the interest groups support. This process reorders the legislative agenda toward the issues and solutions favored by the interest groups and away from the priorities legislators would otherwise pursue.
Google Slide Presentation
Presentation Script
Research Disciplines
Social Sciences
