Interest groups across the policy cycle

Abstract

The involvement of interest groups in different stages of public policy processes is a crucial component our governance systems that affects the quality and legitimacy of public policies. While the advocacy function of interest groups is exercised at every stage of the policy life cycle, much research focuses on policy-formulation stages and assesses the extent to which interest groups successfully advance their preferences in legislations. More recent research has paid attention to interest groups' involvement in implementation phases through their interaction with regulatory agencies. However, we miss systematic research exploring the role and involvement of interest groups across the whole policy cycle, from agenda setting processes to the implementation phase. In other words, we lack studies examining the interaction between interest groups and public officials throughout the development of policy issues- from the moment that they get into the policy agenda up until the point when they are being implemented. This panel promotes research at the nexus between public policy, policy science and interest group literature by placing the focus on the (varying) role of interest groups in policy processes. The central question of the panel is: 'How and why are interest groups involved in and across the different stages of the policy life cycle?'. In that regard, the panel addresses the following sub-questions: What type of groups get involved in the different stages of the policy life cycle and what explains variation in that regard? Are some group more successful in certain stages but less in others, and why? Are some stages of the policy cycle more biased (in terms of participation and success) towards business groups than others? How do policy issue characteristics (e.g., complexity, conflict, and salience), affect the ability of group to participate and advance their interests across the policy life cycle? Studying interest group involvement at various policy stages as well as organizational levels – including both political and administrative layers - requires a breadth of methodological approaches to adapt to the varying contexts under examination. This panel therefore seeks to answer these questions through traditional and new approaches to study the relationship between public officials and interest groups. In addition to large-n surveys and in-depth case studies, the panel particularly welcomes new methodological approaches such as machine learning and natural language processing, which can provide new insights into the role of interest groups in public policy processes. In sum, this panel aims at advancing our understanding of the role of interest groups by ‘zooming out’ and considering the whole policy cycle. This approach can give new and relevant insights on the involvement and success of groups beyond particular points in time – a necessary approach to further our understanding of the role of interest groups in public policy processes.

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