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Beyond Group Membership: New Way of Measuring Environmental Interest Group Strength in the American States

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 February 2025

Derek Glasgow Open the ORCID record for Derek Glasgow [Opens in a new window] ,
Saatvika Rai Open the ORCID record for Saatvika Rai [Opens in a new window] ,
Shuang Zhao Open the ORCID record for Shuang Zhao [Opens in a new window] ,
Jami Taylor Open the ORCID record for Jami Taylor [Opens in a new window]  and
Donald P. Haider-Markel Open the ORCID record for Donald P. Haider-Markel [Opens in a new window]
Derek Glasgow*
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science and Security Studies, Westminster College, Fulton, MO, USA
Saatvika Rai
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science and Public Administration, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, USA
Shuang Zhao
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science, University of Alabama, Huntsville, AL, USA
Jami Taylor
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science and Public Administration, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, USA
Donald P. Haider-Markel
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
*
Corresponding author: Derek Glasgow; Email: derek.glasgow@westminster-mo.edu
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Abstract

Interest groups are an important influence in the subnational policymaking process. Previously, environmental policy scholars measured the strength of environmental groups in the American policymaking subnational process by using proxies like state-level group membership in major nationwide environmental organizations (e.g., Sierra Club). Although these prior measures of group strength have face validity, recent scholarship suggests that the utilization of group financial resources is a better measure of the influence of interest groups in state-level models. We take this approach and provide a new way to measure state-level environmental interests by using aggregated financial information (income and assets) from Internal Revenue Service (IRS) data obtained via the National Center for Charitable Statistics (NCCS). This measure provides several advantages over previous approaches because it varies over time, is derived from easily accessible public data, includes a greater diversity of environmental organizations, and it is considered reliable by prior scholars. We demonstrate its empirical value by deploying our measure in a model of state policy adoption. We encourage researchers to further utilize this new measure in their analysis of environmental advocacy at the subnational level.

Keywords

interest groupsenvironmentalfinancial measurementspolicystate
Type
Original Article
Information
State Politics & Policy Quarterly , First View , pp. 1 - 23
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the State Politics and Policy Section of the American Political Science Association

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