Without reforms, ethical lobbying in Congress may remain theexception

While lobbying has been part of politics in Washington D.C for decades, in recent years the number of corporations and groups that lobby has shot up, with more than $2 billion spent on lobbying in 2014. While this lobbying is legal, is it ethical? Thomas T. Holyoke attempts to define ethical lobbying and suggests reforms to the nation’s lobbying laws. He argues that increasing transparency and accountability so that those who lobbyists represent know what is being lobbied for on their behalf will help push lobbyists to behave more ethically

Being a member of an interest group stimulates political participation, or at least makes it easier

As political participation continues to decline, how can we encourage citizens to re-engage with politics and voting? One area that has seen participation increasing is membership in political interest groups. Using survey data from 1,071 individuals’ contacts with Congress, Thomas T. Holyoke examines the role of interest groups in stimulating political action and participation. He finds that many groups help to increase, or at least direct, their members’ political participation, so that those who are members of both political and professional interest groups have a greater than 60 percent chance of contacting Congress

Lobbying is growing in the US - more information may be the best regulation.

Lobbying in US politics is not new, but recent revelations over lobbying by Trump election campaign members on behalf of foreign governments and others has brought the practice into renewed focus. Thomas T. Holyoke and Timothy M. LaPira give an overview of a special issue of the journal, Interest Groups & Advocacy, which outlines how lobbying is growing, how its ..

Our lobbyists don’t always advocate for what we want them to.

Americans often express concern about the lobbying profession, and they should, but not necessarily for the reasons most think. The majority of people are represented by lobbyists, though they do not always realize it. The problem is that lobbyists may not always be lobbying in the best interests of the people they represent. In new research which examines lobbying on bills in the US Congress, Thomas T. Holyoke finds that in 15 percent of cases lobbyists apparently lobbied against the interests of those they represent

Interest groups and lobbying: pursuing political interest in America

Interest groups and lobbyists play a crucial role in how public policy is made in the United States? representative democracy. Interest Groups and Lobbying is an accessible and comprehensive text that examines the crux of this conflict. Pulling together two areas of interest group research?why advocacy organizations form and how they are able to gain influence in Washington, DC?Thomas T. Holyoke shows students the inner workings of interest groups in the United States. Using case studies to clarify and expand on the issues surrounding lobbying and group action in federal, state, and local government, Holyoke explores how we can use interest groups and their adversarial impulse to achieve the greatest good for the greatest number of people

Appendix_(1) – Supplemental material for After the Punctuation: Competition, Uncertainty, and Convergent State Policy Change

<p>Supplemental material, Appendix_(1) for After the Punctuation: Competition, Uncertainty, and Convergent State Policy Change by Thomas T. Holyoke and Heath Brown in State Politics & Policy Quarterly</p