Commissioned Book Review: David Coen, Alexander Katsaitis, and Matia Vannoni, Business Lobbying in the European Union
| Published date | 01 May 2022 |
| Author | Claire Godet |
| Date | 01 May 2022 |
| DOI | 10.1177/14789299211021007 |
| Subject Matter | Commissioned Book Review |
Political Studies Review
2022, Vol. 20(2) NP19 –NP20
journals.sagepub.com/home/psrev
Commissioned Book Review
1021007PSW0010.1177/14789299211021007Political Studies ReviewCommissioned Book Review
book-review2021
Commissioned Book Review
Business Lobbying in the European Union by
David Coen, Alexander Katsaitis, and Matia
Vannoni. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2021.
240pp., £75.00, ISBN 978-0-19-958975-3
The publication of Business Lobbying in the
European Union could not have come at a
more opportune time. Relations between busi-
ness and government have been a significant
topic in political science for a while. However,
the current health crisis and the numerous dis-
cussions among experts, pharmaceutical com-
panies and political institutions illustrate how
relevant this research is today.
Most research on business lobbying focus
on normative questions (Is it democratic? Is it
legitimate?) or on particular case studies
(whether they study a policy area such as cli-
mate and trade policy or an actor, e.g. trade
associations, banking organisations or states).
The greatest strength of this book is its trans-
versal perspective that studies business–gov-
ernment relations across time and across
governance levels (macro-meso-micro).
The book is very well structured and, chap-
ter by chapter, the reader is taken from a bird’s-
eye view that explores the relations between
firms and the European Union (EU) to a micro
perspective within the firms. The first section
discusses the evolution of business lobbying
throughout EU integration (chapter 2) and the
modification of the business’ relationship with
the Commission and the European Parliament
(EP) (chapter 3). It shows how firms adapted to
structural and regulatory changes (e.g. the EU
gaining more competences, the Parliament
increasing its powers, etc.) but also how they
impacted these changes (e.g. by exchanging
information or financing political parties).
The second section studies business mobili-
sation across policy fields (chapter 4) and
throughout the policy cycle (chapter 5). Once
again, this section shows how business lobbying
is shaped by its environment (it differs accord-
ing to the nature of the policy field or the
moment in the policy cycle) and how businesses
adapt their strategy to maximise their influence
on the EU agenda or outcomes. This section is
strengthened by a rare deep dive into the EP. The
extensive data collected on business lobbying in
the EP explains variances in business mobilisa-
tion and strategies but also how MEPs perceive
this lobbying. This brings a valuable comple-
ment to the many studies on business’ relation-
ships with Commission.
The third section explores how firms have
adapted their own organisation and structure to
develop their lobbying activities. Through
large-N surveys, the authors analyse how gov-
ernment affairs has become integral part of
business and how firms mobilise and strategi-
cally use resources to keep-up with the always
evolving political environment (chapter 6).
All along the analysis, the authors highlight
the complexity of business–government rela-
tions. They do not simplify these multidimen-
sional relations by adopting a strict theoretical
framework. Instead, in every chapter, they
mobilise extensive data and add a layer to the
analysis. The authors chose to develop primar-
ily an empirical study, and the book contains
many illustrative cases that exemplify well
their arguments. However, it might have bene-
fitted from a more critical standpoint, espe-
cially when discussing the legitimacy of
business–government relations.
Nevertheless, this work is commendable for
its impressive range and its original contribu-
tion to the study of business–EU relations. It
will be a useful read for students, practitioners
and any researcher interested in business lobby-
ing. While it is very accessible for a greener
audience, it also offers a wide-ranging view that
sometimes lacks in experts’ work. Moreover,
the data analysed in this book are an invaluable
source for further research. Also, this book
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