Do Interest Groups Compete? An Application to Endangered Species.

Becker (1983) hypothesized that interest groups compete strategically for influence with policy makers; that important model has been assumed or ignored rather than tested. This paper builds theoretical and econometric frameworks that can test hypotheses about strategic behavior when data on interest-group activity are limited and discrete. It applies those frameworks to data on interest-group pressure regarding additions to the U.S. endangered species list. The results do indicate that these interest groups respond to costs and benefits, but do not support the hypothesis that pressure from one interest group increases or decreases with the pressure intensity of an opposing group. Copyright 2003 by Kluwer Academic Publishers