The Issue‐Analysis Approach to Community Power: A Case Study of Realtors in Kalamazoo

Utilizing primarily the issue‐analysis method and incidentally the reputational method an assessment is made of certain aspects of social power in a midwestern community. Although a housing proposal had the support of almost every organization in the community, voters rejected it because the real estate board was the key influential in the decision‐making process. Respondents clearly saw a self‐interest motivation on the part of the realtors but nonetheless identified with them. Neither republicans nor Democrats voted in accordance with the recommendations of their organizations, church members rejected the advice of religious groups, and union members did not follows the urging of the unions. The validity of the reputational method of determining social power is questioned since respondents generally did not identify the real estate board as an influential group in determining community decisions.