Party Reuse of Interest Group Input

When do political parties use interest group input? Previous research on interest group influence as well as on party positions has paid little attention to this question. Using a text reuse approach, this paper looks at whether input submitted by interest groups to government consultations is mirrored in parties’ parliamentary speeches and remarks in parliamentary committee recommendations. Party positions on 88 policy proposals from 2005 to 2015 in Norway are examined. The effects of party-, interest group-, and issue characteristics on parties’ propensity to use information provided by interest groups are investigated.