The book is filled with findings that are both theoretically interesting and potentially useful for political operatives. In this very welcome book Hula addresses a real void in the literature on interest groups by analyzing the general idea of interest coalitions. What particularly impresses me is Hula's research on the incentive structure underlying coalition formation. Building on his extensive interviews, Hula develops an explanation of how coalition brokers overcome the collective action problem. This is an important and timely book.
Today organized interests fight most of their major battles within coalitions.
Whether joining forces to address tobacco legislation or proposed air safety regulations, Washington lobbyists with seemingly little in common are combining their clout to get results. Kevin Hula here examines why coalition strategies have emerged as a dominant lobbying technique, when lobbyists use them, and how these strategies affect their activities. His is the first book to focus on the formation and use of coalitions by lobbyists, examining the broader scope of interest group coalitions and explaining their roles as institutions of collective leadership, bargaining, and strategy for member organizations. Combining collective action theory with data gleaned from 130 interviews with lobbyists and interest group leaders in the fields of transportation, education, and civil rights, Hula explores how the use of coalitions differs at various stages of the policy process and with different activities. In the course of his study, he also shows how the communications revolution is changing interest group tactics.