ENGLISH

Citizen Lobbyists: Local Efforts to Influence Public Policy

By Brian Adams

Book information

Year
2007
ISBN
1592135692, 9781592135691, 9781592135714
Open Library ID
OL8859945M
Language
english
Format
PDF
Filesize
657 kB (672998 bytes)
Pages
248\247
Time added
2011-06-04 13:46:07

Description

"Citizen Lobbyists" explores how U.S. citizens participate in local government. Although many commentators have lamented the apathy of the American citizenry, Brian Adams focuses on what makes ordinary Americans become involved in and attempt to influence public policy issues that concern them. It connects theory and empirical data in a new and revealing way, providing both a thorough review of the relevant scholarly discussions and a detailed case study of citizen engagement in the politics of Santa Ana, a mid-sized Southern California city. After interviewing more than 50 residents, Adams found that they can be best described as "lobbyists" who identify issues of personal importance and then lobby their local government bodies. Through his research, he discovered that public meetings and social networks emerged as essential elements in citizens' efforts to influence local policy. By testing theory against reality, this work fills a void in our understanding of the actual participatory practices of "civically engaged" citizens.

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