"Many citizens, politicians and political activists voice concern about the political influence of business in the European Union (EU). But do business interests really pull the strings in Brussels? Contrary to what is widely expected, this book shows that business interests are no more...

Interest groups differ in the choice of strategy that they use to influence public policy. Some mainly try to gain access, that is, have direct contacts with decision-makers, whereas others tend to “go public”, that is, launch campaigns that aim to mobilize the broader public. We argue that...

In 2011 and 2012, 31 countries and the European Union (EU) signed the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), which envisages stricter standards for the transnational enforcement of intellectual property rights. Despite strong support for the agreement from business groups, the anti-ACTA...

Lobbying is widespread in the European Union (EU). As of June 2013, no fewer than 5,703 interest representatives have signed up to the EU's transparency register. A large majority of these groups represent business interests. But how e ective is business lobbying in the EU? When does business...

What explains variation across national interest groups in their amount of lobbying on legislative proposals in the European Union (EU)? We present an argument that leads to the expectation that resource-rich associations engage in more lobbying on EU legislation than other associations....