Rethinking the ‘where’ and ‘when’ of EU interest groups: Testing the explanatory power of Punctuated Equilibrium theory in making sense of EU interest group politics in the EU policy process

Abstract

EU interest group research scholars often adopt a legislative perspective on the policy process. Its main components are a focus on a single institutional venue where the lobby takes place, and a specific legislative stage to select the cases and investigate the activity. However, some interest group research outcomes question the analytical and methodological validity of isolating interest group activities within a single institution and a specific legislative stage. This article introduces an alternative perspective on the policy process: Punctuated Equilibrium theory. This theory locates interest groups in multiple institutional venues at the same time. Also, it expects activities of interest groups to extend along multiple policy stages. Taking the case of EU’s most recent Research and Innovation programme, Horizon Europe, this study tests the explanatory value of Punctuated Equilibrium theory. The results show that interest groups are active in multiple institutional venues at the same time, and that their activity spreads along multiple policy stages. The main conclusion of this article is that for future interest group studies in an EU context it is key to explicitly consider the conceptualization of how policies unfold in practice in relation to EU interest group politics.