Interest Groups & Political Representation

Abstract

This panel assesses the role of interest groups as representative actors in contemporary democracies. Against the backdrop of declining party membership, the contributions examine how interest groups claim to represent societal interests, how those claims are constructed internally and externally, and how they are received by policymakers and citizens. A first shared theme concerns the internal foundations of representation. Several papers interrogate the relationship between members, supporters, and professional staff within interest groups, questioning whose preferences ultimately shape organizational priorities and policy positions. By examining internal decision-making and role perceptions, the panel highlights potential tensions between membership-based representation and individual lobbyists’ understandings of their representative mandate. Second, the panel emphasizes the plurality of representational logics through which interest groups operate. Rather than assuming that groups exclusively advance the narrow interests of their members, the contributions show that advocacy often targets a wider range of beneficiaries, including broader publics or specific non-member groups. Finally, the papers address inequality and stratification in interest group representation. Contributions assess to what extent interest representation is dominated by a small number of resource-rich and well-connected actors, while other voices remain fragmented or marginalized. These patterns complicate assumptions about pluralism and balanced representation in democratic systems. All in all, the panel contributes to ongoing debates about the democratic role of interest groups in political systems where traditional channels of representation are under strain.

Title	Details
When are Interest Groups Representative? Testing the Conditions Under Which Citizens Feel Represented by Interest Groups	View Paper Details
The Landscape of Women’s Interest Groups in the EU: Exploring (Power) Structures and Organisational Dynamics	View Paper Details
Who Do EU Lobbyists Think They Represent? Ideology and Representation Beyond the Ballot Box	View Paper Details
What Varieties of Interest Advocacy Do Interest Groups Engage In? An Empirical Examination of Interest Group Policy ‘asks’	View Paper Details
Do Interest Groups Represent Their Members or Their Professional Staff?	View Paper Details