Chances to Influence Policy: Equal and Effective?

Abstract

As we discussed in the previous chapter, whereas advocates of the participatory-governance approach to policy making within the EU stress the democratic potential of increased participation on the part of interest groups (Héritier 1999; Commission of the European Communities 2001a; De Schutter 2002; Hey et al. 2007), critics of this approach warn that strengthening the interest-based channel within the Union will mainly serve — due to the alleged bias of the interest-group system in favour of actors well-endowed with resources — to give further advantages to already privileged groups (Grande 2000; Michalowitz 2004; Pesendorfer 2006).