The Oxford Handbook of American Political Parties and Interest Groups is a major new volume that will help scholars assess the current state of scholarship on parties and interest groups and the directions in which it needs to move. Never before has the academic literature on political parties received such an extended treatment. Twenty nine chapters critically assess both the major contributions to the literature and the ways in which it has developed. With contributions from most of the leading scholars in the field, the volume provides a definitive point of reference for all those working in and around the area. Equally important, the authors also identify areas of new and interesting research. These chapters offer a distinctive point of view, an argument about the successes and failures of past scholarship, and a set of recommendations about how future work ought to develop. This volume will help set the agenda for research on political parties and interest groups for the next decade. The Oxford Handbooks of American Politics is an eight-volume set of reference books offering authoritative and engaging critical overviews of the state of scholarship on American politics. Each volume focuses on a particular aspect of the field. The project is under the General Editorship of George C. Edwards III, and distinguished specialists in their respective fields edit each volume. The handbooks aim not just to report on the discipline, but also to shape it as scholars critically assess the current state of scholarship on a topic and propose directions in which it needs to move. The series is an indispensable reference for anyone working in American politics. General Editor for The Oxford Handbooks of American Politics: George C. Edwards III

L. Sandy Maisel is William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Government, Chair of the Government Department, and Director of the Colby in Washington Program. A former candidate for Congress and a Democratic party activist, he is the author of From Obscurity to Oblivion: Running in the Congressional Primary, Parties and Elections in America: The Electoral Process (published in its Third Edition, Post-Election Edition in 2001), and Two Parties -- Or More? The American Party System, with John Bibby, published in a second edition in 2002; he is also the editor of The Parties Respond: Changes in American Parties and Campaigns,now in its fourth edition, as well as the general editor of Jews in American Politics and Political Parties and Elections in the United States: An Encyclopedia. Sandy is also the series editor of Dilemmas in American Politics series.
Professor Berry specializes in the areas of interest groups, citizen participation, nonprofits, and public policymaking. He is the author or co-author of Lobbying for the People (Princeton, 1977), The Interest Group Society (Longman, 4th ed., 2007), Feeding Hungry People: Rulemaking in the Food Stamp Program (Rutgers, 1984), The Challenge of Democracy (Houghton Mifflin, 9th ed., 2007), and The Rebirth of Urban Democracy (Brookings, 1993), winner of the American Political Science Association's 1994 Gladys Kammerer Award for the Best Book in American Politics, and the American Political Science Association Organized Section on Urban Politics' 1994 Best Book in Urban Politics Award.

Part I: Introduction
1. The State of Research on Political Parties and Interest Groups, L. Sandy Maisel and Jeffrey M. Berry
Part II: Theoretical and Methodological Perspectives
2. Theories of Parties, John H. Aldrich and Jeffrey D. Grynaviski
3. Interest Group Theory, Andrew McFarland
4. Methodological Issues in the Study of Political Parties, Hans Noel
5. Methodological Perspectives on Interest Groups, Scott Ainsworth
Part III: Party History
6. American Political Parties: History, Voters, Critical Elections, and Party Systems, Joel H. Silbey
7. The Evolution and Alteration of American Party Coalitions, Mark D. Brewer
8. The Party Faithful: Religion and Party Politics in America, John C. Green
Part IV: Parties in the Electoral Process
9. Party Nominating Procedures and Recruitment--State and Local Level, Raymond J. La Raja
10. How Parties Nominate Presidents, William G. Mayer
11. The Road Less Taken: New Directions in American Party Politics, Daniel M. Shea
12. Winning Isn't Everything: Third Parties and the American Two-Party System, Ronald B. Rapoport
Part V: Party Organization
13. The Evolution of National Party Organizations, Paul S. Herrnson
14. The Pure Partisan Institution: National Party Conventions as Research Sites, Byron E. Shafer
15. Activists, Influence, and Representation in American Elections, Walter J. Stone
16. Political Parties and Consultants, David B. Magleby
Part VI: Party in Government
17. What a Difference Twenty-Five Years Makes: Changing Perspectives on Parties and Leaders in the U.S. House, David W. Rohde
18. Partisan Models and the Search for Party Effects in the U.S. Senate, Barbara Sinclair
19. Party Coalitions in the US Congress: Intra v. Interpart, David W. Brady
20. The President, Party Politics, and Constitutional Development, Sidney M. Milkis and Jesse H. Rhodes
21. State Parties Research: The Quest for Strong, Competitive State Parties, Gerald C. Wright
Part VII: Interest Groups: Bias and Representation
22. Who Sings in the Heavenly Chorus: The Shape of the Organized Interest System, Kay L. Schlozman
23. The Mobilization and Influence of Business Interests, Mark A. Smith
24. Social and Economic Justice Movements and Organizations, Dara Z. Strolovitch and M. David Forest
25. The Comparative Advantage of State Interest, Organization Research, David Lowery and Virginia Gray
26. Urban Interest Groups, Jeffrey M. Berry
Part VIII: Dimensions of Behavior
27. Interest Groups and Agendas, Frank M. Baumgartner
28. Lobbying and Influence, Beth L. Leech
29. Interest Groups in American Elections, Clyde Wilcox and Rentaro Iida
30. Linking Political Parties and Interest Groups, Michael T. Heaney
Part I: Introduction
1. The State of Research on Political Parties and Interest Groups, L. Sandy Maisel and Jeffrey M. Berry
Part II: Theoretical and Methodological Perspectives
2. Theories of Parties, John H. Aldrich and Jeffrey D. Grynaviski
3. Theories of Interest Groups, Andrew McFarland
4. Methodological Issues in the Study of Political Parties, Hans Noel
5. Methodological Perspectives on Interest Groups, Scott Ainsworth
Part III: Party History
6. American Political Parties: History, Voters, Critical Elections, and Party Systems, Joel H. Silbey
7. The Evolution and Alteration of American Party Coalitions, Mark D. Brewer
8. The Party Faithful: Religion and Party Politics in America, John C. Green
Part IV: Parties and the Political Process
9. Party Nominating Procedures and Recruitment-State and Local Level, Ray J. La Raja
10. How Parties Nominate Presidents, William G. Mayer
11. The Road Less Taken: New Directions in American Political Parties, Daniel M. Shea
12. Winning Isn't Everything: Third Parties and the American Two-Party System, Ronald B. Rapoport
Part V: Party Organization
13. The Roles and Relationships among Formal Party Organizations, Paul S. Herrnson
14. The Pure Partisan Institution: National Party Conventions as Research Sites, Byron E. Shafer
15. Activists, Influence, and Representation in American Elections, Walter J. Stone
16. Political Parties and Consultants, David B. Magleby
Part VI: Party in Government
17. What a Difference 25 Years Makes: Changing Perspectives on Parties and Leaders in the U.S. House, David W. Rohde
18. Partisan Models and the Search for Party Effects in the U.S. Senate, Barbara Sinclair
19. The President, Party Politics, and Constitutional Development, Sidney M. Milkis and Jesse H. Rhodes
20. State Parties Research: The Quest for Strong, Competitive State Parties, Gerald C. Wright
Part VII: Interest Groups: Bias and Representation
21. Who Sings in the Heavenly Chorus: The Shape of the Interest Group Universe, Kay L. Schlozman
22. The Mobilization and Influence of Business, Mark L. Smith
23. Social and Economic Justice Movements and Organizations, Dara Z. Strolovitch and M. David Forest
24. The Comparative Advantage of State Interest Organization Research, David Lowery and Virginia Gray
25. Urban Interest Groups, Jeffrey M. Berry
Part VIII: Interest Groups: Dimensions of Behavior
26. Interest Groups and Agendas, Frank M. Baumgartner
27. Lobbying and Influence, Beth Leech
28. Interest Groups in American Elections, Clyde Wilcox and Rentaro Iida
29. Linking Political Parties and Interest Groups, Michael T. Heaney