“The Organizational State is plainly and simply a path-breaking piece of social science research. It digs into the interstices of policy-making in the health and energy fields. While recognizing the macro-politics of controversy and research in areas ranging from strip-mining control, nuclear waste disposal, regulation and banning of drugs, medicare and medicaid funding, the beauty of this work is in its analysis of the micro-sociology of the policy environment.”—Irving Louis Horowitz, Hannah Arendt Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Political Science, Rutgers University

“This book has many merits, both empirical and theoretical. It is by far the most sophisticated research ever made on the politics that determines what the modern state actually does. It is a huge advance beyond the elite vs. pluralist, reputational vs. decision-making debates over power structures. By using network analysis and an organizational framework, Lauman and Knoke are able to show what sorts of actors have power over what kinds of decisions, as well as the constraints imposed by the nature of these large-scale networks themselves.” —Randall Collins, University of California, Riverside