... a comprehensive, insider's view' of the array of techniques that can be used to influence governmental policies and decisions. The text describes the origins of lobbying and illustrates the resources and tactics that are used by state and federal lobbyists. The reader learns the ins and outs' of coalitions, grassroots strategy and political action committees. Mack concludes with a visionary look at lobbying in the future and presents a very useful summary of Sources and Resources' that are useful in government relations work. "Corporate Public Issues"

Written for executives of...

This handbook is a comprehensive guide to the different types of business associations: multi-industry umbrella organizations, single-industry trade associations, professional societies, and chambers of commerce. It is written for senior corporate executives and public affairs officers who want to evaluate the effectiveness of trade and business associations to which their companies belong and to optimize the benefits of participation to achieve corporate objectives, especially in the fields of government relations and economic services. It is also intended for association executives...

Government is the source of the largest cost of doing business. Corporations and business associations must, therefore, manage the business-government relationship with uncommon skill and vigor. Charles Mack, drawing upon his long, successful experience as a practitioner and teacher, asks other corporate and association executives to rethink their current government relations programs and implement them in new, more cost-effective and technologically proficient ways. A highly readable and practical guide to lobbying in all its forms, Mack's book emphasizes managing, and shows how to apply...

America's political party system is dying, Mack says, and it is being replaced by major interest groups that are using their vast grassroots networks and financial resources to take over the parties' traditional functions. These interests include advocacy organizations for labor, the environment, minorities, and other causes often competitive with business interests. Mack lays out specific actions business organizations need to undertake if they are to compete in the politics and lobbying of the future. He analyzes the factors that will change American society and the business-government...

Why do major political parties die? The shelf life of minor parties in democracies tends to be short, but major parties tend to be highly durable. The Democratic Party of the United States and the Conservative Party of the United Kingdom have been going strong for two centuries. Major parties perpetuate themselves by maintaining a consistent ideology on major national issues, even at the cost of periodic defeats at the polls. In American politics, ideological polarization maintains the vitality of the two major parties and renders them almost immune to threats from new parties, even as it...