Lobbying in the European Parliament: The Battle for Influence

by Maja Kluger Dionigi

Overview

This book explains when and how interest groups are influential in the European Parliament, which has become one of the most important lobbying venues in the EU. Yet we know little about the many ways in which interest groups and lobbyists influence parliamentary politics. The author offers insights on four key cases of lobbying, based on the analysis of EU documents, lobbying letters, and 150 interviews. She argues that lobbying success depends on a number of factors, most notably the degree of counter-lobbying, issue salience, and committee receptiveness. These factors are brought together in the framework of “Triple-I” - interests, issues, and institutions – to determine the success or failure of lobbying. This book will be of use to students and scholars interested in EU politics and governance, EU decision-making, and interest group politics, along with policy-makers and practitioners.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783319426877
Publisher:	Springer International Publishing
Publication date:	12/03/2016
Series:	Palgrave Studies in European Union Politics
Edition description:	1st ed. 2017
Pages:	199
Product dimensions:	5.83(w) x 8.27(h) x (d)

About the Author

Maja Kluger Rasmussen is Senior Researcher at Think Tank Europa in Copenhagen, Denmark, and visiting Research Fellow at the Centre for Analysis Risk and Regulation at the London School of Economics and Political Science. She was awarded her PhD in Government by the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements.- List of abbreviations.- Introduction.- Chapter 1: Where, when, and how does lobbying takes place in the European Parliament.- Chapter 2: What are the conditions for interest group influence?.- Chapter 3: Regulating CO2 Emissions for vans. Is the European Parliament Still a Defender of Environmental Interests?.- Chapter 4: Food Information to Consumers Chapter 5: Regulating Working time for Self-employed Trucker Drivers.- Chapter 6: When lobbying becomes counterproductive: The maternity leave directive.- Chapter 7: Conclusion.- Bibliography.- Appendices.- Index.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“This book will be welcomed by both EU public policy scholars and government affairs managers who wish to understand how interest groups shape policy in the European Parliament. Drawing on detailed cases studies, the book illustrates how the nature and salience of policy, institutional opportunities and lobbying coalitions define EU policy outcomes.” (Professor David Coen, University College London, UK)

“Maja Kluger Rasmussen’s book sheds new light on one of the oldest questions in our discipline, i.e. the question of interest group influence. In four carefully executed cases studies, she conducts a systematic analysis of why some groups are more successful in realizing their goals than others, relying on an impressive amount of empirical material. The study reveals a deep and comprehensive knowledge of the dynamics of EU decision-making and contributes to a new generation of interest group research. The findings underline how research into the state-of-play in specificpolicy negotiations is essential for understanding how interest group influence is exerted in practice.” (Professor Anne Rasmussen, University of Copenhagen, Denmark)