Interest Groups & Advocacy

Abstract Legal mobilization and litigation have long been acknowledged as a distinct form of interest group politics. However, organized interests vary in their internal organization, the importance they attach to legal action, and the goals they seek to achieve with legal strategies. This paper analyzes litigation activity of organized interests in Germany. It makes use of novel data collected f…

While interest groups are often portrayed as vehicles of political representation, skeptical voices highlight the political inequalities and representational biases in the interest group system. In recent years, a considerable body of research has assessed the representative strengths and drawbacks of interest groups empirically. However, to date we lack a coherent theoretical perspective on the …

Abstract This study compares trade policy lobbying in the United States and European Union, focusing specifically on patterns of firm-centric trade policy lobbying. Analyzing lobbying data from 2014 to 2018, our research highlights both similarities and differences. On the one hand, we find that in both political systems the economic sectors displaying high multinational corporation (MNC) activit…

If associations include multiple constituencies with conflicting preferences, whose preferences will they represent? We argue that the higher the territorial level of policy-making authority in a polity, the more influence the resource-rich constituencies will have on an association’s policy positions. We apply this argument to the contrasting positions over medical remuneration taken by the medi…

Abstract To what extent are the lobbying positions of large corporations consistent with the increasingly prominent corporate social responsibility (CSR) commitments that these organizations champion? Are corporations with more stringent internal sustainability policies more likely to support state regulation to address related social and environmental challenges? Or do these companies use their …

Abstract The regulation of lobbying serves the dual ambition of ensuring a level playing field for participation in policymaking while reducing risks of corruption and undue influence. International organisations, such as the EU, OECD and Council of Europe, have promoted this regulation by relying on such different agendas and frames. This variation is magnified within the Italian political syste…

Abstract It has been argued that engaging a wide range of stakeholders in regulatory policymaking could enhance its legitimacy, quality, and acceptability. Open consultations are the only venue that theoretically allows the participation of those affected by policy proposals or those with a special position in relation to them. We examine the participation of all stakeholder types in open consult…

Abstract This paper presents a novel methodological approach, multi-dimensional measure of resource stratification in civil society (MMRSC). The method aims at mapping civil society organisations based on different types of resources for studying resource stratification in civil society. The approach is based on six indicators consisting of economic, political, and media resources, internal and e…

Abstract This study shows how the automotive industry was able to influence the final legislation of the Community Strategy to reduce $${CO}_{2}$$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:msub> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi>CO</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> <mml:mn>2</mml:mn> </mml:msub> </mml:math> emissions from passenger cars and light-commercial vehicles , even though the European Commission…

Abstract The political environment in post-independence Zimbabwe has been very hostile for interest groups, particularly since 2000 when civil society actions and opposition political activity formidably challenged the power and dominance of the ZANU PF party. However, the 2017 ouster of Robert Mugabe gave rise to renewed hope for political change. Using the political settlements theoretical fram…

Abstract This article familiarizes readers with the international research project ‘The Missing Link: Exploring Organized Interests in Post-Communist Policy-Making’ (OrgIntCEE). The project team has focused on how populations of organized interests in the region have evolved, how they interact with state institutions as well as the group-specific characteristics driving access to policy-makers. T…

Abstract Global governance is no longer a matter of state cooperation or bureaucratic politics. Since the end of the cold war, advocacy groups have proliferated and enjoyed increasing access to global governance institutions such as the European Union, World Trade Organization, and the United Nations climate conferences. This special issue seeks to push theories of interest groups and internation…