Washington, D.C. representatives [electronic resource] : private interests in national policymaking, 1982-1983.

Format
Data file
Language
English
Εdition
ICPSR ed.
Published/​Created
Ann Arbor, Mich. : Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2009.
Description
Extent of collection: 2 data files + SAS data definition statements + SPSS data definition statements + data collection instrument.

Details

Subject(s)
Series
Restrictions note
Use of these data is restricted to Princeton University students, faculty, and staff for non-commercial statistical analysis and research purposes only.
Summary note
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.
Notes
  • Codebook available in print and electronic format.
  • Title from title screen (viewed on July 7, 2009).
Type of data
Extent of collection: 2 data files + SAS data definition statements + SPSS data definition statements + data collection instrument.
Time and place of event
  • Date(s) of collection: 1983-1984.
  • Time period: 1982-1983.
Geographic coverage
Geographic coverage: District of Columbia, United States.
Funding information
  • Funding agency: American Bar Foundation; National Science Foundation.
  • Grant number: 5803-6932; SES-8320275.
System details
Mode of access: World Wide Web.
Methodology note
  • Mode of data collection: face-to-face interview; telephone interview.
  • Sample: the investigators followed a sequential sampling design that identified approximately 400 organizations and 1,600 of their representatives. The representatives interviewed do not constitute a simple random sample, but were oversampled for more active organizations and representatives. Selection methods may have resulted in a slight bias in the composition of the sample, underenumerating internal representatives (organizational employees).
  • Universe: organizations mentioned in four sources as actively involved in deciding federal policy on agriculture, energy, health, and labor. The sources were: newspapers and magazines published from January 1977 to June 1982, hearings held by committees and subcommittees during the first session of the 95th through 97th Congresses, government officials in Congress and executive agencies, and the 1981 edition of the annual report "Washington Representatives".
Rights and reproductions note
Restrictions: certain variables were blanked by ICPSR for reasons of confidentiality. Users wanting access to the blanked variables should contact John Heinz.
Contents
Part 1: Raw Data File; Part 2: SPSS Export File; Part 3: SAS Data Definition Statements.
Cite as
Heinz, John P., Edward O. Laumann, Robert L. Nelson, and Robert H. Salisbury. Washington, DC, Representatives: Private Interests in National Policymaking, 1982-1983 [Computer file]. ICPSR06040-v2. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2009-04-07.
Statement on language in description
Princeton University Library aims to describe library materials in a manner that is respectful to the individuals and communities who create, use, and are represented in the collections we manage. Read more...
Other views
Staff view

Supplementary Information