Bulletin n. 1-2/2014 | ||
November 2014 | ||
Chalmers Adam W. |
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With a lot of help from their friends: Explaining the social logic of informational lobbying in the European Union | ||
in European Union Politics , vol. 14, n. 4, December , 2013 , 475-496 | ||
This article examines the informational advantages of interest group networking strategies and how these relate to the provision of policy-relevant information to EU decision-makers. Interest groups obtain a great deal of policy-relevant information through their network connections. In particular, weak tie networks are strong in terms of information sharing among network members. Well-informed groups are best positioned to provide much needed information to EU decision-makers and to thus influence the EU policy-making process. Using original survey and interview data, this article tests the extent to which weak tie strategies help interest groups provide information to the Commission, Parliament and Council. A central finding of this article is that strong ties, rather than weak ties, grant the most important informational advantages. | ||