Influencing Political Decision‐Making: Interest Groups and Elections in Independent Ireland

Abstract

A BSTRACT A key question in interest group studies is why some interest groups put forward candidates for election rather than simply trying to influence the political process through normal channels. Theoretically interest groups should not seek public office or compete in elections but should rather pursue their goals through frequent interactions with politicians and bureaucrats. The aim of this article is to examine why such interest groups go beyond the informality stage of simply representing their members' interests by interacting with such politicians and civil servants and instead seek election to public office. As political parties in Ireland now compete on an increasingly narrow issue base, this article argues that interest groups involve themselves in elections precisely because they are better able to influence political decision-making from inside Dáil Éireann and that election to the Dáil is a sign of their arrival as a serious group with a serious cause. This article categorises these groups into those that run candidates for elected office at both local and national level and those that campaign in specific referendums. It also assesses how such groups in effect move their lobbying activities into parliament as distinct from lobbying outside it as is in the theoretical norm in interest group politics.

Minor Parties in Irish Political Life: An Introduction

“…As Murphy (2010) indicates for the former, and both Hansen (2010) and Weeks (2008) for the latter, the impact of these actors has at times been considerable. This ranges from independent parliamentarians being the kingmakers in the Dáil to interest groups having an effect on referendum campaigns.…”

“…When does an independent become a party? These definitional issues are addressed by Coakley (2010) and Murphy (2010). While the differences between a 'major minor' party such as the Progressive Democrats, an interest group (such as the Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child) and an independent candidate are quite considerable, it could be suggested they are all part of the same evolutionary process.…”

“…When small parties move from a policy-oriented to an office-oriented approach it comes with the danger of eroding the key distinction between them and major parties. Murphy (2010) explores the ambiguity between minor party and interest group status, assessing the extent to which interest groups act as a bridging point for potential party entrepreneurs. There are four papers with a more specific focus: Varley (2010) Varley's (2010) paper is particularly necessary to explain the puzzle of why a major farmers' party never emerged in a country where agriculture was for long the dominant industry.…”

The Rise and Fall of Minor Parties in Ireland

“…First, the group must be political: it must be oriented towards influencing policy in the country's representative assembly. Second, electoral involvement must form a significant part of its activities (so that the boundary between minor parties and nonparty organisations, such as trade unions, professional bodies or pressure groups needs to be defined; see Murphy, 2010). Third, it must possess organisational structures with de facto power to sanction or to veto electoral candidacies.…”

Balancing gains and hazards: Interest groups in electoral politics

“…In the US context, there are now high levels of group activity in all types of elections -with tactics ranging from the establishment of political action committees to election-related ads and volunteer work for candidate campaigns (see, for example, Berry, 1984;Austen-Smith, 1987;Hrebenar et al, 1999;Rozell and Wilcox, 1999;Herrnson et al, 2000;Magleby and Tanner, 2004). The massive body of scholarly literature on group involvement in US campaigns is not mirrored in Europe, where few studies have addressed the subject (Allern and Saglie, 2008;Binderkrantz, 2008;Russell et al, 2008;Murphy, 2012). This article therefore provides the first large-scale empirical study of interest group involvement in an European election.…”