Comments on Policy
Makers and Trade
Legislation
Matt Gabel
MEP survey (multiple waves)
-contact with citizens, interest groups, etc..
-professional ambitions
-political values (e.g., redistribution)
-policy opinions (trade included)
-frequency of demands/instructions from
various groups
-sometimes matched with survey of national
legislators
More on the CCFR
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Jacobs and Page, APSR 2005, “Who Influences
Foreign Policy?”
Survey includes government officials in all
branches of US Federal government, members
of interest groups, and mass public
But this is about foreign policy generally and
just in the US
Measuring Interest Group Activity
and Influence (US)
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Richard Hall (like BPD view on lobbying)
Baumgartner and Leech, Lobbying Disclosure
Data Set, which systematically organizes
information on lobbying activities and public
relations, including type of issue, target of
lobbying, etc…
More on Lobbying in the US
Lobbying and Public Policy-Making Project
(Baumgarner, et. al.)
• Random sample of public policy issues on which
lobbyists were active in 1999-2003
• Structured interviews with random sample of
lobbyists focusing on lobbying activities, the
make-up of coalitions on the issues, arguments
and evidence being used, the venues of
government decision-making
• Connected to information about bills, hearings,
print media coverage, etc…
And a little more…
Baumgartner and Jones, Policy Agendas Project
connects hearings, media attention, legislation, and
budgets for specific issue areas (including foreign
trade)
Roll Call Votes
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Council of Ministers recorded votes in the EU
(and the DEU dataset)
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Cautionary note on selection bias in RCVs