1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910459209903321

Autore

Smith Mark A (Mark Alan), <1970->

Titolo

American business and political power [[electronic resource] ] : public opinion, elections, and democracy / / Mark A. Smith

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Chicago, : University of Chicago Press, c2000

ISBN

1-282-67931-7

9786612679315

0-226-76465-6

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (259 p.)

Collana

Studies in communication, media, and public opinion

Disciplina

322/.3/0973

Soggetti

Business and politics - United States

Public opinion - United States

Power (Social sciences) - United States

Pressure groups - United States

Lobbying - United States

Electronic books.

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Description based upon print version of record.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references (p. 223-235) and index.

Nota di contenuto

Introduction -- Business unity and its consequences for representative democracy -- Identifying business unity -- A portrait of unifying issues -- Public opinion, elections, and lawmaking -- Overt sources of business power -- Structural sources of business power -- The role of business in shaping public opinion -- The compatibility of business unity and popular sovereignty.

Sommario/riassunto

Most people believe that large corporations wield enormous political power when they lobby for policies as a cohesive bloc. With this controversial book, Mark A. Smith sets conventional wisdom on its head. In a systematic analysis of postwar lawmaking, Smith reveals that business loses in legislative battles unless it has public backing. This surprising conclusion holds because the types of issues that lead businesses to band together-such as tax rates, air pollution, and product liability-also receive the most media attention. The ensuing debates give citizens the information they need to hold their representatives accountable and make elections a choice between



contrasting policy programs. Rather than succumbing to corporate America, Smith argues, representatives paradoxically become more responsive to their constituents when facing a united corporate front. Corporations gain the most influence over legislation when they work with organizations such as think tanks to shape Americans' beliefs about what government should and should not do.