Pressure, Power and Policy Policy Networks and State Autonomy in Britain and the United States

This text focuses on new developments in pressure group theory. It outlines the concepts of policy networks and state autonomy and evaluates the contribution they make to understanding group/government interaction.;These theories are used to examine a number of policy areas - business, health, agriculture, the environment, consumer policy - in both Britain and the United States. The empirical cases demonstrate the role of theory in understanding policy-making and highlight how a single theory cannot adequately explain all policy outcomes.;Topics covered include - traditional approaches to state-group relations (pluralism, corporatism, Marxism); new approaches to state-group relations (policy networks, state autonomy); how policy networks change; case studies of business, agriculture, health, consumer policy and environmental policy; the relationship between pressure groups, policy communities and the state.