Interest Groups, Public Opinion, and Political Representation

Abstract

Definition This chapter sets out to introduce the literature tackling the interplay between interest groups, public opinion, and public policy. Even after nearly 60 years of political science research, there is still much controversy concerning the involvement of interest groups in public policymaking and how lobbying might affect policy congruence and responsiveness to public opinion. While interest group politics and public opinion have long been examined in separate scholarly communities, this changed in recent times. We first cover recent studies addressing (1) the alignment between interest groups and public opinion, next we discuss (2) the independent but simultaneous effects of interest groups and public opinion on public policy, and finally (3) we cover how the interaction between interest groups and public opinion affects public policymaking. We conclude by reflecting on the findings in current literature, discuss some of its analytical limitations, and propose possible avenues for future research.