Interest Representation in the European Union

Interest Representation in the European Union
Author: Justin Greenwood
Publisher: Macmillan Pub Limited
Total Pages: 310
Release: 2003
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9780333995723

Designed as a replacement for the author's highly acclaimed Representing Interests in the European Union, this title provides a concise but comprehensive and authoritative assessment of professional, consumer, social, business and labour interests in the EU and of the role, significance, and operation of EU interest representation.

Functional and Territorial Interest Representation in the EU

Functional and Territorial Interest Representation in the EU
Author: Michèle Knodt
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 176
Release: 2014-07-16
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1135766762

Despite a substantial legacy of literature on EU interest representation, there is no systematic analysis available on whether a European model of interest representation in EU governance is detectable across functional, and territorial, categories of actors. ‘Functional’ actors include associations for business interests, the professions, and trade unions, as well as ‘NGOs’ and social movements; territorial based entities include public actors (such as regional and local government), as well as actors primarily organised at territorial level. What are the similarities and differences between territorial, and functional, based entities, and are the similarities greater than the differences? Are the differences sufficient to justify the use of different analytical tools? Are the differences within these categories more significant than those across them? Is there a ‘professionalised European lobbying class’ across all actor types? Does national embeddedness make a difference? Which factors explain the success of actors to participate in European governance? This book was originally published as special issue of Journal of European Integration.

Functional and Territorial Interest Representation in the EU

Functional and Territorial Interest Representation in the EU
Author: Michèle Knodt
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 214
Release: 2014-07-16
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1135766835

Despite a substantial legacy of literature on EU interest representation, there is no systematic analysis available on whether a European model of interest representation in EU governance is detectable across functional, and territorial, categories of actors. ‘Functional’ actors include associations for business interests, the professions, and trade unions, as well as ‘NGOs’ and social movements; territorial based entities include public actors (such as regional and local government), as well as actors primarily organised at territorial level. What are the similarities and differences between territorial, and functional, based entities, and are the similarities greater than the differences? Are the differences sufficient to justify the use of different analytical tools? Are the differences within these categories more significant than those across them? Is there a ‘professionalised European lobbying class’ across all actor types? Does national embeddedness make a difference? Which factors explain the success of actors to participate in European governance? This book was originally published as special issue of Journal of European Integration.

Influence and Interests in the European Union

Influence and Interests in the European Union
Author: Jenny Fairbrass
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 232
Release: 2003-09-02
Genre: Reference
ISBN: 1135356033

Clearly discusses the impact and uses of interest representation in the development of the EU system. * Examines the complexities of representation at EU level, a vital issue for potential lobbyists and interest groups * Charts new trends and issues such as enlargement, Europeanization and Central and Eastern Europe * Contributions by acknowledged experts with a proven track record of research and publication in this field, including seven current and past practitioners of EU politics with experience as lobbyists from either institutional, NGO or corporate perspectives * Places interest representation in its historical and theoretical context.

Interest Representation and Europeanization of Trade Unions from EU Member States of the Eastern Enlargement

Interest Representation and Europeanization of Trade Unions from EU Member States of the Eastern Enlargement
Author: Christin Landgraf
Publisher: Ibidem Press
Total Pages: 322
Release: 2015
Genre: Labor unions
ISBN: 9783838207445

This book examines the integration of trade unions from the six biggest countries of the EU's Eastern enlargement of EU governance structures. Based on more than 150 in-depth interviews, comprehensive data, document research, and eight detailed case studies, contributions describe the activities and perceptions of the trade unions under investigation and different levels of engagement, including European umbrella organizations, interregional cooperation, and European Works Councils. The book contributes to political science research on interest representation and Europeanization, as well as sociological research on labor relations.

Insiders versus Outsiders

Insiders versus Outsiders
Author: Andreas Dür
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 285
Release: 2016-07-08
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0191088498

What explains differences in the lobbying behaviour of interest groups? And what consequences do these differences have for the access that interest groups can gain to decision-makers and the influence that they can exert on policy outcomes? Building on an unprecedented amount of empirical evidence on lobbying in Europe, this book puts forward a distinction between lobbying insiders and lobbying outsiders. Lobbying insiders, most prominently business interests, try to establish direct contacts with decision-makers, enjoy good access to executive institutions, and manage to shape policy outcomes when mobilizing the public on an issue is difficult. Lobbying outsiders, in particular citizen groups such as consumer, environmental or health non-governmental organizations, put greater emphasis on mobilizing the public or changing public attitudes, find it easier to gain access to legislative decision-makers, and have the greatest impact on outcomes on issues that are amenable to an outside lobbying campaign. The book shows that a single argument, building on group type as the main variable, can explain variation across interest groups in their choice of strategy, their access to decision-makers, and the conditions under which they can exert influence. The existence of lobbying insiders and lobbying outsiders has important implications for both our understanding of political decision-making and the normative appraisal of contemporary democracy.

Achieving Democracy Through Interest Representation

Achieving Democracy Through Interest Representation
Author: Patrycja Rozbicka
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 238
Release: 2020-10-24
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 3030555216

This book assesses the quality of democracy through the study of organized interests in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) since the collapse of communism in 1989 up to 2017. It offers a much-needed comprehensive look into formal interest representation in CEE countries and compares this with the model in Western democracies. Drawing on democratic theory and comparative analysis, the authors explore the effects of a legal framework, political as well as social contexts. The volume contributes to debates on the performance of young democracies in CEE, where scholars argue that there is a ‘democratic crisis’ and democratic fatigue while the interest group system is often labelled as weak and, in some cases, underdeveloped. Although great efforts have been made to deepen our understanding of interest organization and lobbying tools, the current literature fails to provide a comprehensive answer on the influence of unsupportive environments on population ecology. The case of CEE countries shows significant effects of political and social contexts on interest representation, stimulating a debate about the quality of democratic institutions following the collapse of communism.

Interest Group Politics in Europe

Interest Group Politics in Europe
Author: Jan Beyers
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 225
Release: 2013-09-13
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1317995856

Interest organizations have always assumed a prominent place in European politics because they link states with citizens, institutionalize the resolution of social conflicts, regulate important sectors of the economy and society, contribute to workable policy outcomes and socialize members into democratic politics. However, the plethora of interest group studies that exist have not consolidated our understanding of these actors. These analyses have been subject to the vagaries of different theoretical perspectives and vary greatly in their conceptual and methodological frameworks. Consequently, a not always complementary and fragmented series of findings has emerged. This book is a systematic and comprehensive effort at investigating and integrating the state of the art in European interest group research. Combining the analysis of interest group politics in the EU with the comparative study of interest organizations, the book seeks to identify the areas about which there is consolidated knowledge, that are marked by controversies, in which considerable uncertainty exists, that have been omitted from research programs and that ought to be part of future studies. Thereby, it provides a general reflection on how the study of interest group politics can be improved by linking it to the comparative study of governance. This book was published as a special issue of West European Politics.

Collective Action in the European Union

Collective Action in the European Union
Author: Mark Aspinwall
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 264
Release: 2013-09-13
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 113621402X

Collective Action in the European Union addresses fundamental questions surrounding the European political economy. The impressive array of contributors ask how and why collective action is formed at the European level. They also consider whether collective action at the transnational level is driven by rational, utility maximising behaviour, or whether explanations couched in social terms are more convincing. Many of the chapters introduce fresh empirical studies, in the domains of business, the professions, consumers and environmental interests.