Interpersonal Relations & the Lobbying Profession

Abstract

Rational choice frameworks are widespread in the study of lobbying and interest groups, typically at the expense of explanations that take socialization between individual lobbyists and policymakers, cognitive biases, and path dependency of outcomes at both the individual and organizational level seriously. Moreover, the information exchanges between lobbyists and policymakers—which are a key ingredient of most rational-choice theories—are rarely studied in detail empirically. This panel brings together perspectives that challenge, or at least extend, dominant rationalist approaches by focusing on the individual and relational dimensions of lobbying. The papers collectively highlight how lobbying is shaped by interpersonal interactions, professional norms, and organizational contexts rather than purely strategic calculations. 1. The Enlightened Lobbyist: Inequality and Influence in European Public Affairs develops an individual-centered theory of lobbying that integrates exchange and socialization perspectives, framing lobbying as an inherently interpersonal and representative practice. 2. Understanding Political Lobbying: Careers in Professional Representation and the Juggling Act Between Multiple Ties examines how lobbyists navigate multiple relationships and role expectations, illustrating how careers and representation shape lobbying behavior. 3. Of Houseplants and Wildflowers: The Development and Performance of Private Associations for Lobbyists in Brussels and Washington D.C. focuses on organizational development and professional networks, showing how institutional and social contexts structure lobbying practices. 4. European Commission in a Bubble? The Role of Homophily Between Lobbyists and Policymakers in Interest Group Access to the European Commission investigates how social similarity influences access, highlighting relational and network effects on lobbying outcomes. 5. Finally, How Do We Capture Information Asymmetries Empirically? First Progress from the LOBBYMETRY Project unpacks the informational and relational underpinnings of lobbying, capturing the cognitive biases, asymmetries, and power dynamics that shape influence. Together, these contributions demonstrate that lobbying outcomes emerge not solely from strategic calculation but from socially embedded actors operating under bounded rationality, with important implications for democratic representation, professionalization, and systematic biases in political influence.

Title	Details
Of Houseplants and Wildflowers: the Development and Performance of Private Associations for Lobbyists in Brussels and Washington D.C.	View Paper Details
The Enlightened Lobbyist: Inequality and Influence in European Public Affairs	View Paper Details
Understanding Political Lobbying: Careers in Professional Representation and the Juggling Act Between Multiple Ties	View Paper Details
How Do We Capture Information Asymmetries Empirically? First Progress from the LOBBYMETRY Project	View Paper Details
European Commission in a Bubble? The Role of Homophily Between Lobbyists and Policymakers in Interest Group Access to the European Commission	View Paper Details