The New Entrepreneurial Advocacy

This book looks at one form of business elite activity that has thus far received little attention, despite the high-profile political efforts of billionaire businesspeople including Bill Gates, Elon Musk, and Mark Zuckerberg: a phenomenon that Darren R. Halpin and Anthony J. Nownes call new entrepreneurial advocacy. While previous studies focus on a cross section of either the wealthiest Americans or the largest firms in the United States, this book takes a deep-dive into the political activities of a single, yet pivotal, cohort--the founders and CEOs of Silicon Valley firms. Leveraging a vast range of unique datasets, from political donations and lobbying to philanthropic giving and social media commentary, this book examines the role of this important set of elites in contemporary American political life.