Washington, DC, Representatives: Private Interests in National Policymaking, 1982-1983

This study was undertaken to research systematically the process through which private and governmental actors in United States federal policy systems make decisions. A primary focus was the ways in which individual private representatives of interest groups in Washington, DC, interact with the agencies of the federal government. The data are drawn from interviews conducted in 1983-1984 with samples of two distinct populations: Washington representatives, and American Bar Foundation client organizations that employ Washington representatives. The scope of the inquiry was narrowed to four particular policy domains: agriculture, energy, health, and labor. Each domain was operationally defined by a list of specific policy concerns. Questions were structured around specific policy proposals acted upon by Congress in 1979-1982: 22 in agriculture, 13 in energy, 22 in health, and 22 in labor. Respondents were asked to rate the importance of various information sources, and to give their positions on general social and political issues. Background data collected on respondents included participation in electoral politics, political party membership, religious preference, nationality, age, tenure in Washington, race, sex, and parents' occupation and political party affiliations.