The U.S. “Homeland Security” regime created more lobbying, not the other way around

Common wisdom holds that lobbying and lobbyists influence government policy towards the preferences of the well-resourced. In new research, Tim LaPira which examines interests groups in the wake of the creation of the “homeland security” regime in 2002. He finds that the move to the new policy regime attracted new short term lobbying interests, while older, better established groups only shifted their focus to the new issue temporarily. In light of these findings, he argues that new government policies, such as “homeland security” help to create lobbying, not the other way around.