Why am I passionate about this?

I was attracted to the study of interest groups for two main reasons. First, not too many scholars study interest groups and lobbying. This means I might have something to contribute. Second, interest groups are fascinating. Almost every interest you can think of has an interest group trying to affect (or retard) change. Every year, for example, I get to regale my students with stories about little-known interest groups such as the American Frozen Food Institute, the Pink Pistols (a pro-gun LGBTQ group), the California Prune Board, and Declassify UAP (an anti-UFO secrecy group). Talking and learning about interest groups is fun. 


I wrote

Interest Groups in American Politics: Pressure and Power

By Anthony J. Nownes,

Book cover of Interest Groups in American Politics: Pressure and Power

What is my book about?

Interest Groups in American Politics is a textbook about (you guessed it) interest groups in American politics. The book addresses…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Grassroots for Hire: Public Affairs Consultants in American Democracy

Anthony J. Nownes Why did I love this book?

There has been more “grassroots” advocacy in the last 25 years than during any 25-year period in U.S. history. The Black Lives Matter, pro-Trump, anti-Trump, New Christian Right, and Tea Party movements are some of the biggest mass movements in our history.

When most people hear the word “grassroots,” they think of ordinary citizens mobilizing, marching, or protesting on important issues. But in this book, sociologist Edward Walker shows us that behind many instances of seemingly “grassroots” advocacy are legions of political consultants who sell their ability to mobilize ordinary citizens to their wealthy clients, including giant corporations and business-oriented interest groups.

This book is epiphanic. Most of us realize on some level that political consulting is a big business. But most of us—and I mean regular people and people like me who study politics for a living—assume that political consultants advise political parties and candidates for office on the best ways to get votes.

This book shows that the world of political consulting now goes far beyond this. Specifically, highly professional, well-connected, expert political consultants find ways to stimulate seemingly “grassroots” activity on behalf of their well-heeled clients.

This means that some mass movements are not “mass” at all. Dr. Walker provides us with a glimpse into the new world of political consulting. And he does this by using real-world, compelling examples from local, state, and national politics. This book will leave you asking: Is the “grassroots” advocacy I see actually coming from the “grassroots?”

By Edward T. Walker,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Grassroots for Hire as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Although 'grassroots' conjures up images of independent citizen organizing, much mass participation today is sponsored by elite consultants working for corporations and powerful interest groups. This book pulls back the curtain to reveal a lucrative industry of consulting firms that incentivize public activism as a marketable service. Edward Walker illustrates how, spurred by the post-sixties advocacy explosion and rising business political engagement, elite consultants have deployed new technologies to commercialize mass participation. Using evidence from interviews, surveys and public records, Grassroots for Hire paints a detailed portrait of these consultants and their clients. Today, Fortune 500 firms hire them to…


Book cover of The Logic of Collective Action: Public Goods and the Theory of Groups

Anthony J. Nownes Why did I love this book?

Mancur Olson was one of the most influential social scientists of the 20th century. This slender (though at times dense) volume presents Olson’s thoughts on why shared interests are seldom enough to motivate people to join together in interest groups.

Beginning with the “rational economic man” assumption common in microeconomics, Olson demonstrates that people have powerful incentives not to support organizations that work to obtain collective goods they value.

Olson got a few things wrong, but his argument explains a lot of the political inaction and nonparticipation we see. If you have ever wondered, “Why don’t people join organizations that are working to help them?” or “Why do oppressed people not rise up against their oppressors?” this book is a good place to start.

Every time I start to get frustrated with what I view as political apathy, I go back to this book. I do this because the book demonstrates that political apathy is, in many cases, eminently rational and appropriate. After all, why spend time or money working toward a political cause when you could spend time or money on something more obviously beneficial to you such as working, relaxing, watching television, or taking a nap?

By Mancur Olson,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Logic of Collective Action as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This book develops an original theory of group and organizational behavior that cuts across disciplinary lines and illustrates the theory with empirical and historical studies of particular organizations. Applying economic analysis to the subjects of the political scientist, sociologist, and economist, Mancur Olson examines the extent to which the individuals that share a common interest find it in their individual interest to bear the costs of the organizational effort.

The theory shows that most organizations produce what the economist calls "public goods"-goods or services that are available to every member, whether or not he has borne any of the costs…


Book cover of Thank You for Smoking

Anthony J. Nownes Why did I love this book?

I recommend this book because it is about lobbying and it is funny. “Lobbying” and “funny” are not usually words you see in the same sentence. I am pretty cynical, but not as cynical as the author of this book.

Our protagonist, Nick Naylor, is a tobacco lobbyist with no shame and a lot of money. His opponents, including a self-righteous anti-tobacco senator from Vermont, are not much better than Naylor, obsessed as they are with attention and power. Most lobbyists are not like Nick Naylor. But some are.

The book skewers platitudes about “freedom” and “personal choice,” which are familiar lobbyist tropes.

By Christopher Buckley,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Thank You for Smoking as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Nobody blows smoke like Nick Naylor. He’s a spokesman for the Academy of Tobacco Studies–in other words, a flack for cigarette companies, paid to promote their product on talk and news shows. The problem? He’s so good at his job, so effortlessly unethical, that he’s become a target for both anti-tobacco terrorists and for the FBI. In a country where half the people want to outlaw pleasure and the other want to sell you a disease, what will become of the original Puff Daddy?

From the Trade Paperback edition.


Book cover of Lobbying and Policy Change: Who Wins, Who Loses, and Why

Anthony J. Nownes Why did I love this book?

This is the preeminent academic study of interest group influence. The book is long, dense, and scholarly. The book is perhaps best known for its conclusion that money isn’t everything; groups with lots of money lose policy battles all the time.

Based on in-depth research on almost 100 issues before the federal government, the book's findings support my view that the answer to the question, “How influential are interest groups?” is, “It depends.” This conclusion is not satisfying to people who seek easy answers to complex questions. But it is undoubtedly true.

By Frank R. Baumgartner, Jeffrey M. Berry, Marie Hojnacki , David C. Kimball , Beth L. Leech

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Lobbying and Policy Change as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

During the 2008 election season, politicians from both sides of the aisle promised to rid government of lobbyists' undue influence. For the authors of Lobbying and Policy Change, the most extensive study ever done on the topic, these promises ring hollow - not because politicians fail to keep them but because lobbies are far less influential than political rhetoric suggests. Based on a comprehensive examination of ninety-eight issues, this volume demonstrates that sixty percent of recent lobbying campaigns failed to change policy despite millions of dollars spent trying. Why? The authors find that resources explain less than five percent of…


Book cover of Groups, Interests, and U.S. Public Policy

Anthony J. Nownes Why did I love this book?

The late William Browne pioneered the study of interest group influence. His empirical studies noted that interest groups often get what they want from government because they ask for relatively small changes in policy to which no one objects.

In this book, he reflects on his work and that of others. He concludes that interest groups are an integral part of the American political system and that they seldom manage to strongarm the government into doing things that lots of ordinary Americans do not support.

This book is good because it is the rare academic piece that sings the praises of interest groups and acknowledges all the good they do. After all, most Americans, whether they believe it or not, identify with, support, or belong to some interest group.

And as Browne points out, interest groups have been integral to the adoption of some of the most important and beneficial policies in our history. Interest groups were essential parts of the civil rights movement, the abolitionist movement, the women’s rights movement, and the labor movement.

If you have ever suspected that interest groups and lobbyists are not as bad as most Americans think they are, or if you have ever wondered what a full-throated defense of interest groups looks like, this book is for you.

By William P. Browne,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Groups, Interests, and U.S. Public Policy as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Synthesizing theory, personal research, and prior studies on interest groups and other lobbies, William P. Browne offers a new, insightful overview of organized political interests and explains how and why they affect public policy. Drawing on his extensive experience researching interest groups, Browne assesses the impact that special interests have long had in shaping policy. He explains how they fit into the policymaking process and into society, how they exercise their influence, and how they adapt to changing circumstances. Browne describes the diversity of existing interests-associations, businesses, foundations, churches, and others-and explores the multidimensional tasks of lobbying, from disseminating information…


Explore my book 😀

Interest Groups in American Politics: Pressure and Power

By Anthony J. Nownes,

Book cover of Interest Groups in American Politics: Pressure and Power

What is my book about?

Interest Groups in American Politics is a textbook about (you guessed it) interest groups in American politics. The book addresses all the most important questions about interest groups in the USA, including the following: what is an interest group? What types of interest groups are most (and least plentiful)? What do interest groups do? What is lobbying? Do lobbyists corrupt our politics? And finally, there is probably the most important question of all: how much influence do interest groups have over government decisions?

Don’t worry! Just because the book is a textbook does not mean it is boring. The book includes lots of contemporary examples and uses clear, concise language to get you up to speed on interest groups.

Book cover of Grassroots for Hire: Public Affairs Consultants in American Democracy
Book cover of The Logic of Collective Action: Public Goods and the Theory of Groups
Book cover of Thank You for Smoking

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