Special Interest Partisanship: The Transformation of American Political Parties in Government

51 Pages Posted: 1 Aug 2011 Last revised: 23 Aug 2011

Date Written: 2011

Abstract

This paper will analyze the relationship between special interest groups and the Republican Party from the Nixon administration through the Reagan administration. During this period, liaison between the party in government and special interest organizations became more formal, and the manner in which parties in government attempted to reach special interest groups also changed. The Nixon administration tried to communicate directly with special interests in the electorate, bypassing groups as much as they could. Ford changed this strategy dramatically, institutionalizing relations between the White House and organized groups through the Office of the Public Liaison (OPL). The Ford administration cast a wide net, attempting to build relationships with many different groups in a short period of time. OPL’s efforts were systematic and widespread under Ford, though liaison became more concentrated under Reagan. The Reagan administration’s relationships with special interest groups were more intense, but also narrower. Drawing on theories of the firm, I will explain why parties chose to integrate certain special interest groups into their infrastructure in what amounts to an organizational evolution similar to the one American businesses experienced after World War II. Parties were active, willing participants in this endogenous transformation of the American party system because it helped them achieve their electoral and policymaking goals. Though special interest partisanship may contribute to the image of a “culture war” in contemporary American politics, its origins are surprisingly non-ideological. Rational strategy, not ideology, drove the changes we see in the relationship between special interests and parties.

Suggested Citation

Krimmel, Katherine, Special Interest Partisanship: The Transformation of American Political Parties in Government (2011). APSA 2011 Annual Meeting Paper, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1901554

Katherine Krimmel (Contact Author)

Columbia University ( email )

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