Interest Groups

Abstract

Having laid out the theoretical and conceptual framework on solid ground in the previous sections, this chapter turns its focus on the research primacy of the study, which rests on the character and role of interest groups involved in domestic policymaking and their interplay with governmental actors, as well as their participation in EU affairs. More specifically, it sets out to explore the structures and strategies of interest groups as intermediary actors between state and society. Such groups are deemed by the EU as generators of social capital and good governance, although one cannot discount their dark side, which will also be discussed toward the end of this chapter. A comparative politics approach is being adopted to configure their different typologies, which, ultimately, determine their stratagems to engage in public affairs. The major thrust of this chapter is to introduce in greater detail the nature of domestic interest groups, and the different methods and avenues of influence at their disposal. The inquiry commences with a concise evaluation of how classical and contemporary political thinkers assess the role of interest groups in the attainment of the common good. Eventually, the discussion explores the correlation between interest groups and policy success, and consequently, groups’ input toward good and legitimate governance. The chapter, moreover, features the variables that are eventually to be used when analyzing change, if any, in internal structures, fieldwork interactivity and attitudinal formation of domestic organized groups as a consequence of EU impact.