The Multiplex Network of EU Lobby Organizations

Area of Science:

• Social Sciences
• Network Analysis
• Political Science

Background:

• Lobbying is crucial in policy-making for economic and social groups.
• Limited data exists on lobbying success and influence dynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a systematic multi-layer network analysis of a large lobby registry.
• To investigate the structure of lobbying networks in the finance and climate domains.

Main Methods:

• Combined EU transparency register data (affiliation, client relations) with firm shareholding and interlocking directorates.
• Performed a multi-layer network analysis focusing on finance and climate domains.

Main Results:

• Lobby organization network centrality does not directly correlate with lobbying budgets.
• Different network layers offer complementary insights into potential organizational influence.
• Finance and climate domains are separate in affiliation networks but intertwined through economic relations.

Conclusions:

• Understanding lobbying influence requires mapping both inter-group connections and intra-group cohesiveness.
• Economic relations play a key role in connecting seemingly separate policy domains.
• Network analysis provides a framework for understanding policy-making dynamics.