Public event lobbying: how interest groups use seminars and conferences for political influence

Abstract

AbstractWhile interest groups frequently arrange seminars and conferences, the strategic use of public events for political influence has largely evaded scholarly scrutiny. Drawing on systematic, in-depth data from 49 interviews, quantitative event mapping and extensive ethnographic observation within the health field, this study proposes that public event lobbying serve two key purposes: first, to forward policy issues and -solutions directly to policy makers within a public, communicatively controlled setting, and second, to network with a broad range of issue stakeholders, including policy makers. By arranging public events, interest groups in practice construct non-institutional arenas for direct access which afford substantial control over how issues are presented, and by whom. Moreover, by physically assembling decision makers and issue stakeholders, public event lobbying directly or indirectly contributes to establish and strengthen policy communities. Theoretically, public event lobbying is proposed as a direct outsider lobbying strategy, which serve both short-term issue influence objectives and long-term capacity building for lobbying through the construction of supportive networks. While public event lobbying is applied across group types, the study finds that financial resources and inter-organizational cooperation are key determinants for event organizing.