Interest Organizations across Economic Sectors: Explaining Interest Group Density in the European Union

TY - JOUR

T1 - Interest Organizations across Economic Sectors

T2 - Explaining Interest Group Density in the European Union

AU - Berkhout, Joost

AU - Carroll, Brendan

AU - Braun, Caelesta

AU - Chalmers, Adam

AU - Destrooper, Tine

AU - Lowery, David

AU - Rasmussen, Anne

N1 - Special Issue: Legislative lobbying in context: the policy and polity determinants of interest group politics in the European Union

PY - 2015/4/21

Y1 - 2015/4/21

N2 - ABSTRACT: The number of interest organizations (density) varies across policy domains, political issues and economic sectors. This shapes the nature and outcomes of interest representation. In this contribution, we explain the density of interest organizations per economic sector in the European Union on the basis of political and economic institutional factors. Focusing on business interest representation, we show that economic institutions structure the ‘supply’ of interest organizations by affecting the number of potential constituents, the resources available for lobbying and the geographical level of collective action of businesses. In contrast, we do not find consistent evidence that political institutions produce ‘demand’ for interest organizations by making laws, developing public policy or spending money. This is in contrast to the extensive evidence that such factors affect lobbying practices. The European Union interest system is (partially) shaped by economic factors, relatively independent from public policy or institutions.

AB - ABSTRACT: The number of interest organizations (density) varies across policy domains, political issues and economic sectors. This shapes the nature and outcomes of interest representation. In this contribution, we explain the density of interest organizations per economic sector in the European Union on the basis of political and economic institutional factors. Focusing on business interest representation, we show that economic institutions structure the ‘supply’ of interest organizations by affecting the number of potential constituents, the resources available for lobbying and the geographical level of collective action of businesses. In contrast, we do not find consistent evidence that political institutions produce ‘demand’ for interest organizations by making laws, developing public policy or spending money. This is in contrast to the extensive evidence that such factors affect lobbying practices. The European Union interest system is (partially) shaped by economic factors, relatively independent from public policy or institutions.

KW - Faculty of Social Sciences

KW - business interest representation

KW - European Union

KW - interest groups

KW - lobbying

U2 - 10.1080/13501763.2015.1008549

DO - 10.1080/13501763.2015.1008549

M3 - Journal article

SN - 1350-1763

VL - 22

SP - 462

EP - 480

JO - Journal of European Public Policy

JF - Journal of European Public Policy

IS - 4

M1 - 2

ER -