The Europeanisation of Interest Representation: UK Business and Environmental Interests Compared

Fairbrass, Jenny. (2004) The Europeanisation of Interest Representation: UK Business and Environmental Interests Compared. In: UNSPECIFIED, Sheffield, UK.

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Abstract

Traditional approaches to the study of interest representation have been concerned with examining the role of interest groups within a political system. This is a worthwhile exercise. However, it leads to an incomplete picture. It is also important to explore what impact a political system has on interest representation. In adopting the Europeanisation framework outlined in this paper, we can begin to examine what impact the European Union (EU), as a political system, has had on interest representation among national level actors. This paper explores the EU-effect on the interest representation patterns among two sets of actors in the UK: business organisations and environmental groups. The research presented here reveals significant differences and similarities in the interest representation of the two groups, and exposes the broader Europeanisation mechanisms in operation.

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