"The role of large firms in the European public policy system: A case study of European multinational political activity"

Coen, David. (1997) "The role of large firms in the European public policy system: A case study of European multinational political activity". In: UNSPECIFIED, Seattle, WA. (Unpublished)

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Abstract

While it is an increasingly accepted norm in international political economy that firms are legitimate political actors in the global public policy process, there is still only a rudimentary knowledge of the firms' political preferences and logic. Moreover, there have been fewer still empirical studies of how firms have restructured their political organization to maximise the political options available in the constantly evolving European public policy system. Based on an empirical study of ninety-four of Europe's largest firms, this paper assesses the development of a European 'elite pluralistic' public policy system and assesses its implications for nation state/business relationship. Therefore, the paper explores the degree to which the Europeanisation of the marketplace has harmonised the political activity of firms across borders, sectors and issues. Recognising that large firms have evolved into sophisticated political actors, this paper asserts that firms compete with one another for access to the European Commission by creating European identities. Therefore it is argued that the European elite pluralistic system has started to harmonise firm political behaviour across borders for specific European issues and that it has altered national public policy activity even for nationally embedded issues.

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