LOBCON-EU · Lobbying and Corporate Political Connections in Europe

How does corporate lobbying affect democratic representation and economic activity in Europe? Lobbyists play a key role in the democratic process, but tight links between business and politics often raise the question of conflicts of interest and disproportionate corporate influence. Yet, we know little about how corporations influence politics in Europe. Current work focuses on the U.S., due to the availability of high-quality data. In contrast, there is a lack of quantitative research on corporate influence in Europe. The LOBCON-EU project investigates the impact of lobbying and corporate political connections in Europe. First, the project develops an integrated theoretical framework on corporate political activity applicable to different European contexts. Second, the project uses novel data from the new German lobbying register linked data on the professional background of lobbyists, to answer the question who becomes a lobbyist? Third, the project uses data on lobbying meetings between of the European Commission to answer how do policymaker characteristics affect lobbying? Finally, the project uses linked Danish individual and business register data to study why do individuals transition between the private sector and politics? LOBCON-EU uses big data and state-of-the-art quantitative methods to establish the causal effect of lobbying on politics and firm performance.The LOBCON-EU project will generate evidence on corporate political activity in Europe and make new data available to researchers and the public. Moreover, the project informs policymakers about potential economic inequalities and welfare losses resulting from lobbying activities. The results will further contribute to ongoing debates among public officials and civil society groups on the creation and reform of lobbying disclosure mechanisms. Finally, by making lobbying and corporate lobbying more transparent, the project also contributes to public trust in the democratic process.