Professor Grossman is Director of the Michigan Policy Network and Liaison to the Washington Semester Program at Michigan State University. His research concerns American politics and policymaking, and he has written the book “The Not-So-Special Interests: Interest Groups, Public Representation and American Governance”,

Drawing from an original analysis of policy history, Matt Grossmann will present research on the role of interest groups in American policy change since 1945. His research shows that interest group influence comes from integration into governing networks with longtime policy entrepreneurs, rather than via campaign contributions or lobbying expenditures. The results illustrate how inequalities in interest group influence arise and how difficult it is for new groups to dislodge established players.

Please check the OLLI web site for additional lectures in the series “Money and Politics: Is Democracy for Sale?” Thursdays, September 11 - October 23.
http://www.olli-umich.org/programs_activities/lectures/1st_Lecture_Series.pdf