Page 139 - Information and American Democracy Technology in the Evolution of Political Power

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Political Organizations
sought at least one large, well-endowed, traditional political organiza-
tion, at least one modest organization with a history in American pol-
itics but not a great deal of political influence, and at least one new
organization with no political history whatever. The result was the fol-
lowing list: the Libertarian Party; the Environmental Defense Fund and
other environmental groups; a coalition of education groups including
the National Education Association and others; and the Million Mom
March.
To develop case studies of these groups, members of my research team
and I read further into the secondary literature relevant to the organi-
zations, obtained public records and documents where available, and
conducted almost a hundred telephone and face-to-face interviews. Our
informants were organization officials, participants in advocacy efforts,
congressional staff, and federal agency officials and staff. The aim of the
interviews was to explore how the new information environment in pol-
itics affected the efforts of these organizations to pursue their political
goals as well as their organizational arrangements. My goal for interview-
ing in each case involved a four-step strategy to which I was able to adhere
withvaryingbutreasonablesuccess.First,webeganbyinterviewingmid-
rankingstaffwithclose,day-to-dayinvolvementintheuseofinformation
technology for political communication and other functions. The goal
of this step was to develop an understanding of the insider’s view of the
organizational dynamics of technology. At this level we continued inter-
viewing inside the group using a “snowball-sampling” technique until
we felt we had a complete insider’sview.Thesecondstepinvolvedmov-
ing upward in the organization’s hierarchy to reach the highest-ranking
staff person with direct responsibility for political communication and
information technology. The aim of this step was to develop a broader
understanding of how the technology-intensive operations fit within the
larger organizational context. We inquired specifically about strategic
matters involving information technology rather than the tactical and
day-to-day issues we discussed at the first step.
The third step involved attempting to interview at least one even
higher-rankingofficialwithresponsibilityforoveralloperationsandwho
could give the broadest possible perspective on the organization. These
interviews provided a check on some of the enthusiastic claims of those
directly involved with the technology on a daily basis. Not surprisingly,
we found in some cases that those with daily involvement overstated the
importance of technology within the organization as measured against
the views of those at the top – but not always. The final step in the

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