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Studies in Postwar American Political Development
The Business of America is Lobbying: How Corporations Became Politicized and Politics Became More Corporate
Corporate lobbyists are everywhere in Washington. Of the 100 organizations that spend the most on lobbying, 95 represent business. The largest companies now have upwards of 100 lobbyists representing them. How did American businesses become so invested in politics? And what does all their money buy? Drawing on extensive data and original interviews with corporate lobbyists, The Business of America is Lobbying provides a fascinating and detailed picture of what corporations do in Washington, why they do it, and why it matters. Since the 1970s, a wave of new government regulations and declining economic conditions has mobilized business leaders, and companies have developed new political capacities. Managers soon began to see public policy as an opportunity, not just a threat. . Ever since, corporate lobbying has become more pervasive, more proactive, and more particularistic. Lee Drutman argues that lobbyists drove this development by helping managers see the importance of politics and how proactive and aggressive engagement could help companies' bottom lines. Politics is messy, unpredictable, and more competitive than ever, but the growth of lobbying has driven several important changes that have increased the power of business in American politics. And now, the costs of effective lobbying have risen to a level that only larger businesses can typically afford. Lively and engaging, rigorous and nuanced, this will change how we think about lobbying-and how we might reform it.
269 pages, Hardcover
First published April 16, 2015
42 people are currently reading
479 people want to read
About the author
Lee Drutman
8 books26 followersLee Drutman is a senior fellow in the Political Reform program at New America. He is the author of The Business of America is Lobbying (Oxford University Press, 2015) and winner of the 2016 American Political Science Association's Robert A. Dahl Award, given for "scholarship of the highest quality on the subject of democracy." In addition, he writes regularly for Polyarchy, a Vox blog. Drutman also teaches in the Center for Advanced Governmental Studies at The Johns Hopkins University. He holds a Ph.D. in political science from the University of California, Berkeley.
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May 8, 2015
The Business of America is Lobbying: How Corporations Became Politicized and Politics Became More Corporate by Lee Drutman
“The Business of America is Lobbying” is a book about what lobbying involves and how it operates. Research fellow, professor with a Ph.D. in political science, Lee Drutman takes a professional approach and argues quite convincingly that corporate lobbying has reached its current persuasive position largely because lobbying has its own internal momentum. Lobbying begets lobbying. This straightforward 288-page book includes the following ten chapters: 1. The Pervasive Position of Business, 2. Why the Growth of Corporate Lobbying Matters, 3. The Growth of Corporate Lobbying, 4. How and Why Corporations Lobby, 5. How Corporations Cooperate and Compete, 6. How Corporations Make Sense of Politics, 7. How Lobbyists Perpetuate Lobbying, 8. Testing Alternative Explanations for Growth, 9. The Stickiness of Lobbying, and 10. The Business of America is Lobbying.
Positives:
1. A well-researched and well-referenced book.
2. An important topic that surprisingly doesn’t get as much attention as it deserves, the influence of lobbying in American politics.
3. A very good format. Each chapter clearly states what is expected and ends with a conclusion.
4. Takes a professional, analytical approach. Plenty of charts that complement the accessible narrative.
5. Clearly states the main goals of the book. “This book, by contrast, is far more focused on the self-perpetuating nature of political engagement, and the ways in which, once it gets started, organizational lobbying deepens and expands over time.”
6. Explains the why of lobbying. “…if corporate managers think that lobbying will help their company’s bottom line, then they will lobby. If not, then they won’t lobby.”
7. No shortage of numbers. “In 2012, politically active organizations reported $3.31 billion in direct lobbying expenses, down slightly from $3.55 billion in 2010 but up significantly from $1.82 billion just 10 years earlier and, controlling for inflation, almost seven times the estimated $200 million in lobbying expenses in 1983.”
8. Explains the what of lobbying. “I define lobbying quite broadly to mean any activity oriented towards shaping public policy outcomes, and I make the reasonable assumption that all corporate political activity is oriented towards shaping public policy outcomes.”
9. Explains how the growth of corporate lobbying influences policymaking. Makes the compelling case that growth of corporate lobbying has altered the policymaking environment in eight ways that are largely interconnected.
10. Explains why legislation is much more complex. “On the Affordable Care Act, 1,483 unique organizations lobbied on the bill.” “Policy complexity is valuable for those seeking to extract rents from government because it makes it hard to see just who is benefitting and how.”
11. A look at the history of corporate lobbying. “The most direct strike at corporate political influence was the 1907 Tillman Act, which banned direct corporate contributions to candidates.” “Several pharmaceutical lobbyists described the 1993–1994 healthcare debate as a wake-up political moment for industry, an observation that fits with empirical evidence showing that the number of healthcare companies with a Washington lobbying presence almost doubled between 1992 and 1994.”
12. A look at the various tactics of lobbying. “…changing the status quo requires more work than preserving the status quo.” “…informing clients and bosses about developments in Washington is a key part of what lobbyists do. So it is not surprising that, no matter the strategic approach, collecting information is always a part of it.”
13. Some revelations exposed. “Companies simply devote much more of their resources to lobbying than they do to campaign finance.”
14. Explores the role of trade associations versus lobbying by companies. “If most lobbying is done through associations, it suggests more cohesiveness in the lobbying community. If most lobbying is done through companies, it suggests more divisiveness in the lobbying community, with more companies focused on their own concerns.”
15. There is business philosophy spruced throughout the book. “The more managers (and people in general) understand cause-effect relationships, the more they tend to perceive their environment as controllable.”
16. Explores the perspective of corporate managers. “With more information and experience, managers can better develop more realistic policy goals.” “Corporate managers are not particularly savvy about politics.”
17. Explores three alternative hypotheses on how lobbyists perpetuate lobbying. “(1) lobbying grew because government got bigger; (2) lobbying grew because government devoted more attention to issues companies care about; (3) lobbying grew because companies got bigger.”
18. Provides empirical support for his theory that lobbying is sticky. Find out…
19. A look at the future of lobbying and what we can do to curtail its influence, albeit limited. Proposes three types of solutions.
20. Notes included.
Negatives:
1. More brains than heart. The book makes use of cold hard facts to the detriment of passion. Emotions play a pivotal role in our decision-making process and this book unfortunately strips the heart of such an important component. In short, I wanted a dose of passion into the mix.
2. As with most books of this ilk, the disease is better explored than the cure. The focus is clearly on what constitutes lobbying instead of what we can do as citizens to curtail its negative effects.
3. It’s a well written, professional book but it’s at times a dry read. Some folks will shy away from the statistical analysis. In defense of the author, I considered the charts helpful but it’s not for everyone and may have been better placed in an appendix.
4. The author seems restrained. It’s as if the author did not want to offend anyone. Some of it’s understandable but it comes at a price.
5. A missed opportunity to explore the damage caused by corporate lobbying to average citizens.
In summary, this is a solid, workman-like analytical look at corporate lobbying for the general public. The author succeeds at proving his case that lobbying begets lobbying. The book however is a bit dry and leaves some topics on the table that would have taken it to a higher level. I was expecting more and was little disappointed that the author didn’t pursue the damage done by corporate lobbying. Overall, a good book, I recommend it.
Further recommendations: “Lobbying America” by Benjamin C. Waterhouse, “Corruption in America” by Zephyr Teachout, “Winner-Take-All Politics” by Jacob S. Hacker, “The Price of Inequality” and “Globalization and its Discontents” by Joseph E. Stiglitz, “Affluence and Influence” by Martin Gilens, “Republic, Lost” by Lawrence Lessig, “The New Elite” by Dr. Jim Taylor, “Why Nations Fail” by Daron Acemoglu, “ECONned” by Yves Smith, “The Great Divergence” by Timothy Noah, and “Bailout” by Neil Barofsky.
“The Business of America is Lobbying” is a book about what lobbying involves and how it operates. Research fellow, professor with a Ph.D. in political science, Lee Drutman takes a professional approach and argues quite convincingly that corporate lobbying has reached its current persuasive position largely because lobbying has its own internal momentum. Lobbying begets lobbying. This straightforward 288-page book includes the following ten chapters: 1. The Pervasive Position of Business, 2. Why the Growth of Corporate Lobbying Matters, 3. The Growth of Corporate Lobbying, 4. How and Why Corporations Lobby, 5. How Corporations Cooperate and Compete, 6. How Corporations Make Sense of Politics, 7. How Lobbyists Perpetuate Lobbying, 8. Testing Alternative Explanations for Growth, 9. The Stickiness of Lobbying, and 10. The Business of America is Lobbying.
Positives:
1. A well-researched and well-referenced book.
2. An important topic that surprisingly doesn’t get as much attention as it deserves, the influence of lobbying in American politics.
3. A very good format. Each chapter clearly states what is expected and ends with a conclusion.
4. Takes a professional, analytical approach. Plenty of charts that complement the accessible narrative.
5. Clearly states the main goals of the book. “This book, by contrast, is far more focused on the self-perpetuating nature of political engagement, and the ways in which, once it gets started, organizational lobbying deepens and expands over time.”
6. Explains the why of lobbying. “…if corporate managers think that lobbying will help their company’s bottom line, then they will lobby. If not, then they won’t lobby.”
7. No shortage of numbers. “In 2012, politically active organizations reported $3.31 billion in direct lobbying expenses, down slightly from $3.55 billion in 2010 but up significantly from $1.82 billion just 10 years earlier and, controlling for inflation, almost seven times the estimated $200 million in lobbying expenses in 1983.”
8. Explains the what of lobbying. “I define lobbying quite broadly to mean any activity oriented towards shaping public policy outcomes, and I make the reasonable assumption that all corporate political activity is oriented towards shaping public policy outcomes.”
9. Explains how the growth of corporate lobbying influences policymaking. Makes the compelling case that growth of corporate lobbying has altered the policymaking environment in eight ways that are largely interconnected.
10. Explains why legislation is much more complex. “On the Affordable Care Act, 1,483 unique organizations lobbied on the bill.” “Policy complexity is valuable for those seeking to extract rents from government because it makes it hard to see just who is benefitting and how.”
11. A look at the history of corporate lobbying. “The most direct strike at corporate political influence was the 1907 Tillman Act, which banned direct corporate contributions to candidates.” “Several pharmaceutical lobbyists described the 1993–1994 healthcare debate as a wake-up political moment for industry, an observation that fits with empirical evidence showing that the number of healthcare companies with a Washington lobbying presence almost doubled between 1992 and 1994.”
12. A look at the various tactics of lobbying. “…changing the status quo requires more work than preserving the status quo.” “…informing clients and bosses about developments in Washington is a key part of what lobbyists do. So it is not surprising that, no matter the strategic approach, collecting information is always a part of it.”
13. Some revelations exposed. “Companies simply devote much more of their resources to lobbying than they do to campaign finance.”
14. Explores the role of trade associations versus lobbying by companies. “If most lobbying is done through associations, it suggests more cohesiveness in the lobbying community. If most lobbying is done through companies, it suggests more divisiveness in the lobbying community, with more companies focused on their own concerns.”
15. There is business philosophy spruced throughout the book. “The more managers (and people in general) understand cause-effect relationships, the more they tend to perceive their environment as controllable.”
16. Explores the perspective of corporate managers. “With more information and experience, managers can better develop more realistic policy goals.” “Corporate managers are not particularly savvy about politics.”
17. Explores three alternative hypotheses on how lobbyists perpetuate lobbying. “(1) lobbying grew because government got bigger; (2) lobbying grew because government devoted more attention to issues companies care about; (3) lobbying grew because companies got bigger.”
18. Provides empirical support for his theory that lobbying is sticky. Find out…
19. A look at the future of lobbying and what we can do to curtail its influence, albeit limited. Proposes three types of solutions.
20. Notes included.
Negatives:
1. More brains than heart. The book makes use of cold hard facts to the detriment of passion. Emotions play a pivotal role in our decision-making process and this book unfortunately strips the heart of such an important component. In short, I wanted a dose of passion into the mix.
2. As with most books of this ilk, the disease is better explored than the cure. The focus is clearly on what constitutes lobbying instead of what we can do as citizens to curtail its negative effects.
3. It’s a well written, professional book but it’s at times a dry read. Some folks will shy away from the statistical analysis. In defense of the author, I considered the charts helpful but it’s not for everyone and may have been better placed in an appendix.
4. The author seems restrained. It’s as if the author did not want to offend anyone. Some of it’s understandable but it comes at a price.
5. A missed opportunity to explore the damage caused by corporate lobbying to average citizens.
In summary, this is a solid, workman-like analytical look at corporate lobbying for the general public. The author succeeds at proving his case that lobbying begets lobbying. The book however is a bit dry and leaves some topics on the table that would have taken it to a higher level. I was expecting more and was little disappointed that the author didn’t pursue the damage done by corporate lobbying. Overall, a good book, I recommend it.
Further recommendations: “Lobbying America” by Benjamin C. Waterhouse, “Corruption in America” by Zephyr Teachout, “Winner-Take-All Politics” by Jacob S. Hacker, “The Price of Inequality” and “Globalization and its Discontents” by Joseph E. Stiglitz, “Affluence and Influence” by Martin Gilens, “Republic, Lost” by Lawrence Lessig, “The New Elite” by Dr. Jim Taylor, “Why Nations Fail” by Daron Acemoglu, “ECONned” by Yves Smith, “The Great Divergence” by Timothy Noah, and “Bailout” by Neil Barofsky.
May 6, 2025
pre 2016 draining of swamp
June 12, 2015
An excellent book about corporate lobbying at the federal level. Drutman is especially good on the reasons for the growth of this lobbying, particularly the reasons why this lobbying is “sticky.” Since corporations and their associations spend more on lobbying than on campaigns, this is where the action is, but it is an area that has not been covered as well as Drutman does.
One of the extra bonuses of Drutman’s book is his unusual ability to write organized chapters, sections, and paragraphs that allow the reader to skim. This book is full of data, but you can easily read Drutman’s summaries.
Drutman also has some creative recommendations for dealing with lobbying by balancing it and making it more transparent rather than trying to limit it.
Anyone interested in lobbying at the local level may want to check out my free e-book on the topic.
One of the extra bonuses of Drutman’s book is his unusual ability to write organized chapters, sections, and paragraphs that allow the reader to skim. This book is full of data, but you can easily read Drutman’s summaries.
Drutman also has some creative recommendations for dealing with lobbying by balancing it and making it more transparent rather than trying to limit it.
Anyone interested in lobbying at the local level may want to check out my free e-book on the topic.
September 6, 2017
If you're even remotely interested in the grittiness of politics in America, then this is the right book for you. While critics have contended that the book is too cerebral and lacks heart, I found this approach excellent for this material. I left more knowledgeable than when I entered, just as the book was intending to do. The fascinating subject matter is detailed in a macro and micro level to show the "stickiness" that is lobbying, and while I would have loved to see some more insight into how best untangle the web of politics and lobbying, this read was more than capable to shedding light on a dark and twisty subject matter not often discussed in the political world.
December 6, 2022
This book is a great analysis of the growth of corporate lobbying, and I learned a lot while challenging my existing understanding of that growth. If (like me) you’re not well versed in statistical research methods, parts of the book are too dense and I had to skim the more technical parts. Overall I’m really glad to have read this!!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews