Who Do EU Lobbyists Think They Represent? Ideology and Representation Beyond the Ballot Box

A fundamental feature of democracy is representation through political organizations - political parties and interest groups. While party politicians are elected by citizens and guided by ideological commitments, lobbyists are hired without an ideological mandate. The literature has focused on the actors and constituencies which interest groups represent - ranging from special to diffuse interests. However, it remains unclear how individual lobbyists perceive their representative role. This is relevant as the EU includes interest groups in its consultations to address its democratic deficit. Thus, lobbyists are key intermediaries in the representative chain which interests groups forge between societal interests and EU policymakers. This article addresses this gap by answering the question of how the political ideology of lobbyists shapes their self-perceived representative role. It draws on novel survey data of EU lobbyists. The expectation is that lobbyists on the economic centre-right and more communitarian lobbyists perceive themselves to represent more special interests. Overall, the paper contributes to the understanding of lobbyists as political representatives.