The Power of the Party: Conflict Expansion and the Agenda Diversity of Interest Groups

Abstract

To what extent do political parties have an effect on the policy-related activity of interest groups? Drawing from ideas of conflict expansion and the structure of extended party networks, we argue that political parties are able to pull interest groups into more policy conflicts than they otherwise would be involved in. We posit that parties are able to draw interest groups to be active outside of established issue niches. We suggest that several mechanisms—shared partisan electoral incentives, reciprocity, identification with the means, and cue-taking behavior—lead groups to participate in more diverse political conflicts. By linking data on interest group bill positions and the policy content of legislation, we generate a novel measure of 158 interest groups’ alignment with political parties. We find that the more an interest group is ideologically aligned with a political party, the more diverse their issue agenda becomes.

Measuring interest group agendas in regulatory proposals: a method and the case of US education policy

“…Moreover, coalition building and lobbying are dependent on the substantive nature of issues and institutions serving as the venues for participation (Mahoney 2007). Fagan et al (2019) find that parties draw interest groups into conflicts they may otherwise avoid. These forces collectively bracket the nature of interest group influence in lobbying policy change.…”

“…The answers to these questions offer opportunities to understand agenda change and problem definition in complex issues. The research builds on fundamental concerns about how groups compete, collaborate, and organize on the policy agenda (Fagan et al 2019;Halpin and Thomas 2012).…”

Strategic Lobbying and the Pressure to Compromise Member Interests

“…Party leaders, committee chairs, other powerful legislators, and even important constituents may make demands on them, and, once committed, legislators may pressure their lobbyist-allies to also fall in line. Evidence is emerging that political parties can also pressure lobbyists into taking-up issues they might otherwise avoid (Fagan, McGee, and Thomas 2021). In the United States, pressure may even come from the president, and indeed McKay and Webb (2019) find that when presidents decide to exert influence in Congress, it is so strong it eclipses most lobbying influence.…”

Why do interest groups prioritise some policy issues over others? Explaining variation in the drivers of policy agendas

“…Finally, our empirical analysis focuses on the single case of Australia. While we expect the specified drivers to be relevant for groups operating in a variety of democratic systems, there might be variation in their relative importance due to differences in group systems and political systems, in particular the openness of the political and media arena, as well as variation in group-party ties and alignment (see Fagan et al 2019). We hope this work provides a solid foundation for more research on the prioritization processes of interest groups and their policy agendas.…”