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The Determinants of Direct Corporate Lobbying in the European Union

Author

Listed:
  • Patrick Bernhagen

    (University of Aberdeen, UK, p.bernhagen@abdn.ac.uk)

  • Neil J. Mitchell

    (University of Aberdeen, UK, n.mitchell@abdn.ac.uk)

Abstract

Whereas research on corporate lobbying in the USA has produced a set of robust findings, less is known about the determinants of business political action in other policy arenas and beyond the nation-state. In particular, we do not know how well the standard profit-seeking model of firm political activity travels. The article examines this issue with an analysis of business lobbying in the EU that reflects tactical adaptation to lobbying at the supranational level. Using data on 2000 large companies, we show that a modified profit-seeking model of corporate political behaviour is generalizable to corporate lobbying in Brussels. By contrast, theories emphasizing nationally distinct types of interest intermediation find little support in the data.

Suggested Citation

  • Patrick Bernhagen & Neil J. Mitchell, 2009. "The Determinants of Direct Corporate Lobbying in the European Union," European Union Politics, , vol. 10(2), pages 155-176, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:eeupol:v:10:y:2009:i:2:p:155-176
    DOI: 10.1177/1465116509103366
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Matti Van Hecke & Peter Bursens & Jan Beyers, 2016. "You'll Never Lobby Alone. Explaining the Participation of Sub-national Authorities in the European Commission's Open Consultations," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(6), pages 1433-1448, November.
    2. Olper, Alessandro, 2017. "The political economy of trade-related regulatory policy: environment and global value chain," Bio-based and Applied Economics Journal, Italian Association of Agricultural and Applied Economics (AIEAA), vol. 5(3), February.
    3. Calò, Silvia, 2019. "Bailouts: The lesser of two evils?," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 41(1), pages 84-98.
    4. Dorottya Sallai, 2013. "European Union Lobbying and the Golden Cage of Post-Socialist Network Capitalism in Hungary," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 51(5), pages 948-964, September.
    5. Dellis, Konstantinos & Sondermann, David, 2017. "Lobbying in Europe: new firm-level evidence," Working Paper Series 2071, European Central Bank.
    6. Ehrlich Sean D. & Jones Eryn, 2016. "Whom do European corporations lobby? The domestic institutional determinants of interest group activity in the European Union," Business and Politics, De Gruyter, vol. 18(4), pages 467-488, December.
    7. Massaro, Maria, 2019. "Is business lobbying in the European Union context-dependent? Evidence from the policy field of radio spectrum," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 43(10).
    8. Adriana Bunea, 2014. "Explaining Interest Groups' Articulation of Policy Preferences in the European Commission's Open Consultations: An Analysis of the Environmental Policy Area," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 52(6), pages 1224-1241, November.
    9. Barber Benjamin & Weschle Simon & Pierskalla Jan, 2014. "Lobbying and the collective action problem: comparative evidence from enterprise surveys," Business and Politics, De Gruyter, vol. 16(2), pages 1-26, August.

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