Business Associability in the US Chemical Industry: Private Interest Governments in Pluralist Precincts?

Abstract

Unlike in any other country, the political system of the US has been analyzed with particular emphasis on the role of organized interest groups and the extent of their influence on public policy making, even going as far as perceiving the US as an ‘interest group society’ (Berry, 1984). Thus, a comparative volume on the conditions of business associability is almost bound to account for the American case and, in particular, for the case of the American chemical industry. The chemical industry as such, on the other hand, is an appropriate choice for analysis since it is one of the two sectors compared in this volume. Furthermore, the case of the US is not only significant for the American industry as a whole, but, more importantly, it holds the largest share of the world’s chemical market (ACC, 2002: 11–12).

This analysis was conducted within a comparative research project at the University of Konstanz, Germany, and the European University Institute in Florence, Italy. I am thankful for the discussions with and the ongoing support from the members of the research project at both institutions. Particularly, I am grateful for the advice, encouragement, comments, and support of Volker Schneider, Jürgen R. Grote, Achim Lang, and Arndt Wonka. In addition, I would like to thank Achim Lang for providing helpful suggestions on the data analysis conducted herein as well as the participants of a workshop at the University of Konstanz in January 2004, who commented on an earlier version of the manuscript. Moreover, I am appreciative of the attention that leading associational representatives of 20 Washington-based trade associations in the US chemical industry paid to this study in sharing their insights and expertise with me.