Basic Interests: The Importance of Groups in Politics and in Political Science

by Frank R. Baumgartner and Beth L. Leech

Book Overview

A generation ago, scholars saw interest groups as the single most important element in the American political system. Today, political scientists are more likely to see groups as a marginal influence compared to institutions such as Congress, the presidency, and the judiciary. Frank Baumgartner and Beth Leech show that scholars have veered from one extreme to another not because of changes in the political system, but because of changes in political...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0691059152
• ISBN13: 9780691059150
• Release Date: March 1998
• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Length: 248 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

A historical overview with future research possibilties

Any reader looking to learn more about the history behind interest group formation will appreciate this detailed, highly engaging book. The authors do an excellent job of laying out their ideas and backing up their opinions. What most impressed me about the book was the final chapter, where the authors went on to recommend ways political science researchers could achieve more coherence in the varied approaches to studying interest groups. This was a adept way to pull together the rest of the book and I only wish I was looking for a way to conduct research in this evolving field!