The Politics of Attention

Frank R. Baumgartner is a highly respected political scientist with a long list of scholarly writings based on his research interests. He was born in 1958 and educated at the University of Michigan (B.A., 1980; M.A., 1983; Ph.D., 1986). Included in his works are political planning, political jurisdictions, legislative behavior, comparative politics, French politics, American national institutions, and research design and measurement.

Two of Baumgartner's better known books are Agendas and Instability in American Politics (1993), an account of how public policies can change rapidly even in established institutions; and Survey Research and Membership in Voluntary Organizations (1988), a study of the political action of lobbying and interest groups.

Basic Interests: The Importance of Groups in Politics and in Political Science written with Beth L. Leech, is a work that reviews books and articles about interest groups from 1940 to the present, and examines the methodology of political scientists. The authors conclude that in order to improve the methodology of political scientists better research questions are needed along with more attention to the context of group behavior.

Baumgartner is a professor of Political Science at Texas A&M University.

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