Interest Group Influence in the U. S. Congress

This essay critically reviews research published in the last decade that explores how lobbyists and interest groups influence the actions of the U.S. Congress. The research is extensive and contains a rich, but often conflicting, set of findings about the influence of interest groups. The purpose of this essay is to inventory, review, and critique this research in ways that convey as clearly as possible the status of our current understanding of the nature and level of interest group influence in the U.S. Congress.