Interest group representation on government committees in Kenya

Abstract

Business associations engage in dialogue with policy makers-and sometimes succeed in influencing policy outcomes. One strategy-largely overlooked by researchers-involves seeking appointment to government boards and committees. This is an important omission since many committees review, draft and implement policies and regulations. Securing representation on government committees could thus lead to considerable influence but little is known about the extent to which interest groups seek such appointments. And very little is known about dialogue in developing countries, especially those that seek a consensual rather than an adversarial approach to policy formulation. This research, based on desk research of government committee membership and interviews with business associations, thus addresses two gaps. It has been undertaken in a developing country, Kenya, since there is a relatively small number of interest groups compared to other countries of a similar population. This research focuses on the efforts of interest groups, and business groups in particular, to place nominees on government committees. This article highlights the level of regulatory activity in Kenya effectively delegated to government boards and committees and demonstrates the apparent success of business associations in securing participation in a majority of the committees with a regulatory function. It argues, however, that interest groups could be more professional and more strategic when they are represented on government committees.

Beyond the usual suspects: interest groups in the Global South

“…Yet, in spite of the importance of interest groups for the democratization process, studies of interest groups’ activities in the Global South are still a rarity (with some notable exceptions, including the publications by authors in this special issue, e.g. Irwin and Kyande 2022 or Alba Vega 2012 ). While Western democracies link the emergence of modern civil society and democratization with a century-long process, different patterns emerge when examining interest group activity in the Global South.…”