Martin Gilens & Benjamin I. Page, “Testing
Theories of American Politics: Elites, Interest Groups, and Average Citizens”, in
Perspectives on Politics, forthcoming
Fall 2014
This paper using a multivariate analysis based on a data set of key variables
for 1,779 policy issues indicates that economic elites and organized groups
representing business interests have substantial independent impacts on U.S.
government policy, while average citizens and mass-based interest groups have
little or no independent influence.
Full paper: Testing Theories of American Politics, Princeton webpage