interest representation

Question 1

what are private interest groups

Answer 1

• 1. Private interest groups – groups that promote the interest of a small group of individuals, often concentrated in a specific sector - eg. Sectoral business associations (such as farmers) - and individuals firms

Question 2

what are public interest groups

Answer 2

groups that promote the interests of the community at large or a broad (more ‘diffuse’) group of individuals eg. Environmentalists, consumers, unions, women’s associations

Question 3

what is the main assumption behind the pluralist model interest group politics

Answer 3

• Main assumption behind pluralism is that for every group pressing on one side of the debate, another group will present the opposing view. There is ‘countervailing power’ against any well organized group which tries to promote private interest against a broader ‘public’ interest.

Question 4

how is the outcome of pluralism ‘zero-sum’

Answer 4

• Central requirement of the like pluralist model is that opposing interest have equal access to the political process.
• Governmental officials need to promote the public interest is to act as neutral referees of the interest group game

Question 5

what is a critique of pluralism

Answer 5

assumes that opposing interest groups have equal access to power

Question 6

what did olsen say about pluralism

Answer 6

• Olsen claims that as smaller groups are easier to organise than big groups and therefore can often defeat the bigger groups which are supposed to prevail in a democracy. Therefore, not equal access
• His ‘logic of collective actions cited that for example farmers have an incentive to organise to maintain subsidies and consumers have no incentive to stop them

Question 7

what is neo-pluralism

Answer 7

• In order to overcome state officials ceasing to be neutral arbiters, bureaucrats deliberately seek out, subsidize and give access to underrepresented public interests. This aims to level the playing field

Question 8

what is corporatism and what is the outcome

Answer 8

• To promote an equal balance of power between the division of business and labour, the state recognizes, licences and grants representational monopolies to the two side of the class divide.
• Instead of open policy making, representatives from both sides have close meetings with the state to push for legislation
• Outcome is ‘positive-sum’

Question 9

what is a critique of corporatism

Answer 9

• Critique: other groups are excluded
• Class is not the only division in society
• Undemocratic
• Prevents policy change (ie. Each side can veto)

Question 10

in 2007 how many types of interest groups were there in the EU

Answer 10

• In 2007 there were 2,478 types of interest groups in the EU

Question 11

what are the different types of interest groups in the EU

Answer 11

• Business - Business Europe – Union of Ind. & Employers Confed’s of Europe (formerly UNICE), ERT – European Roundtable of Industrialists. Business Europe plays a high-profile role in EU policy-making and its officials meet regularly with council, commission, parliament.
• Professional Associations - SEPLIS – European Secretariat of the Liberal, Independent and Social Professions
• Public - ETUC – European Trade Union Confederation, EEB – European Environment Bureau
• Territorial – German Lander, Italian regions

Question 12

brussels estimates that how many people are employed by interest groups in the EU

Answer 12

• Brussels estimates ranges form 15,000 to 20,000 people are employed by interest groups

Question 13

what is the shift that has occurred over the last 20 years in term of interest representation

Answer 13

• In general, over the last 20 years, there has been a significant shift from national level actors (such as govenrments, national MP’s etc) to European level actors (such as commission, European parliament and individual MEP’s)

Question 14

• Social interest groups were under represented until 1990’s when they began to compete on equal basis with business groups. however recently the commission have included groups in its policy making process. What are negative consequences of this

Answer 14

: the information they receive may not be credible as they may have an interest in providing information for them to continue to be funded. Has created ‘insider’ and ‘outsider’ groups in which the outside groups as not clearly represented.
• Result of the exclusion of some interests from the elitist structure of interest group representation in the EU is the growing use of more direct forms of collective action against the EU institutions. For example, the forms of demonstrations in brussels and other types of protest against the EU institutions

Question 15

what aspect of the EU means that interest groups are likely to find someone somewhere in the EU system who will listen to their arguments or will want to receive information that they can use to shape policy outcomes

Answer 15

• EU legislative procedures allows agenda setting and veto powers to multiple actors.

Question 16

three points of access

Answer 16

• Policy initiation: Commission, national government civil servant, commission/council working groups, commission consultants/advisors
• Legislative Adoption: Council sessions, COREPER working classes, national government ministries, EP committees and plenary session, national government hearings
• Implementation: comitology committees, EU agencies, national civil services and agencies, private actors in national courts& ECJ

Question 17

Due to small size of commission in comparison to the 500 million people it governs, the commission is the key supply of access to non-states interests and has an incentive to what?

Answer 17

to grant private interest groups access in exchange for specialised information and expertise

Question 18

what is the primary motivation for EP and commission to supply interest groups access to the policy making process

Answer 18

to increase their influence in the EU legislative process

Question 19

• Whilst mobilizations of ___ ___ ___ and national interests can strengthen the position of national governments in the council, the mobilizations of interest groups can strengthen the hand of the___ ____

Answer 19

mass public opinion

supranational institutions

Question 20

are business interests more powerful than public interests and why ?

Answer 20

• Business interests who have more incentives and financial and political resources than public interests are particularly good at playing the brussels game

Question 21

what did Dur&Marshall (2015) conlcude

Answer 21

• At the decision-making stage, business interests are less successful than often expected
• Business more successful on less conflictual policy episodes, and when the EP is less powerful
• Policy outcomes tend to be a compromise between a coalition comprising citizen groups, the European Commission, and the EP – and another comprising the most member states and business interests
• Business was influential in establishing market-creating policies 20 years ago. What we now see is a reversal of fortunes as citizens groups and the EC join forces in promoting market-enabling and process regulations.

Question 22

overall what model of interest representation is the EU

Answer 22

• The EU is rather ‘neo-pluralist’ – multiple points of access, commission highly open and accessible, EP and Courts have also protected diffuse interests. But no single dominant interest or set of interests – variance in structure of representation by policy area