Doctoral Dissertation Research: The Institutionalization of Social Movements and the Growth of Grassroots Lobbying

SES-0527344John D.爱德华·T·麦卡锡沃克宾夕法尼亚州立大学随着社会运动越来越开始专业化，并在20世纪60年代和70年代的行动主义浪潮之后建立的影响力渠道内工作，他们的策略开始被公司，贸易协会和相关利益集团通过“草根游说”的实践所采用。“今天，一个不断发展的公共关系和政治咨询公司行业为他们的客户提供各种各样的游说服务，包括请愿、直邮和社区组织。这种形式的政治活动是如何变得突出的，什么样的团体最有可能采取这种行动？本课题针对草根游说团体的发展和目前的运作提出了三个主要问题：（1）是什么样的历史和组织因素影响了这种做法的发展？组织建立的历史模式是否表明，这些策略实际上是从制度化的社会运动中学到的？(2)社会中哪类群体最有可能雇用一家公司来开展这类业务？例如，政党、公司或利益集团最有可能与草根游说公司合作吗？(3)哪些因素最能说明每个群体所采用的策略？例如，以企业客户为主的公司是否更有可能参与社区组织？为了解决这些问题，这项研究将建立在一套目录列表提供的杂志竞选选举，一个著名的和有信誉的来源，为那些寻求信息的政治咨询和游说服务。一旦列举了1990-2004年竞选活动中列出的全部基层游说公司，将从其他四个来源获得关于每个公司的进一步信息：公共关系公司，注册华盛顿游说者，公共和私人公司的目录，以及每个组织的网站。更广泛的影响：本研究考察了政治过程中被忽视的一个方面，这个方面对公众舆论的形成和立法决定的结果有着巨大的影响。拟议的研究将首次系统地研究企业、行业协会、利益集团和政治运动试图为其政策赢得公众支持的最新和最具创新性的手段。学院内外的社区将受益于了解基层游说策略的扩散程度，以及社会运动在这一过程中发挥的作用。

SES-0527344John D. McCarthyEdward T. WalkerPennsylvania State UniversityAs social movements increasingly began to professionalize and work within established channels of influence in the wake of the 1960s and 1970s wave of activism, their tactics began to be adopted by corporations, trade associations, and related interest groups through the practice of "grassroots lobbying." Today, a growing industry of public relations and political consulting firms provide for their clients a variety of such lobbying services, including petitioning, direct mail, and community organizing. How did this form of political activity become prominent, and what sorts of groups are most likely to take such action? This project asks three major questions about the development and present-day operation of grassroots lobbying firms: (1) What historical and organizational factors shaped the development of this practice? Does the historical pattern of organizational founding suggest that these tactics were, in fact, learned from institutionalized social movements? (2) Which types of groups in society are most likely to employ a firm to carry out such operations? For example, are political parties, corporations, or interest groups the most likely to work with a grassroots lobbying firm? (3) What factors best account for the tactics in which each group engages? For example, are firms that have primarily corporate clients more or less likely to engage in community organizing? In order to address these questions, this research will build from a set of directory listings provided by the magazine Campaign & Elections, a well-known and reputable source for those seeking information on political consulting and lobbying services. Once the complete set of grassroots lobbying firms listed in Campaigns & Elections from 1990-2004 is enumerated, further information on each firm will be sought from four other sources: directories of public relations firms, registered Washington lobbyists, and public and private corporations, as well as the websites of each organization. Broader Impacts: The study examines a neglected aspect of the political process-one that has enormous consequence for the formation of public opinion and the outcomes of legislative decisions. The proposed research will be the first to systematically examine the newest and most innovative means by which corporations, trade associations, interest groups, and political campaigns attempt to gain popular support for their policies. Communities both inside and outside of the academy will benefit by understanding the extent to which grassroots lobbying tactics have proliferated, as well as the role that social movements play in the process.