Business Power in Washington: The Insurance Exception

This article traces the scholarship on business political power from Bauer, Pool and Dexter, through Lindblom, to Graham Wilson and David Vogel. The prominent understanding now is that business was under attack in the 1960s and 1970s but has since recovered a privileged position. The variables common to this scholarship provide a framework for analyzing insurance industry politics. Drawing primarily upon the unisex case, the article shows that the insurance industry is not in control of the political agenda, does not enjoy the collaboration of federal elected officials, does not gain disproportionate benefits and usually does not make effective use of their lobbying resources. It argues that the industry's internal divisions and low public regard help explain its unprivileged position, and concludes that more attention to industry sectors will help refine what we know about the political power of business.