DIGSSCORE seminar: Party-Interest Group Ties: The Resource Exchange Model Revisited

Elin Haugsgjerd Allern, Professor at the Department of Political Science at the University of Oslo, will present a paper at this Tuesday seminar. The paper is titled "Party-Interest Group Ties: The Resource Exchange Model Revisited" and is co-written with Vibeke Wøien Hansen (ISF), David Marshall (University of Reading) and Simon Otjes (Leiden University and Groeningen University).

The event is in a hybrid format, you are welcome to join us for lunch from the Corner room at DIGSSCORE. Food is provided on a first-come first-served basis. Zoom link for digital attendance.

Abstract:
We examine the existence and strength of organizational ties between parties and interest groups by innovating on classic resource exchange theory. First, we propose that the nature of interest groups’ policy orientation and their general organizational capacity primarily explain the presence of ties: ties are less likely to materialize when groups lack ideological policy goals and have limited organizational capacity. Second, the size and types of resources on offer from both sides are what principally account for the strength of existing ties. We hypothesize that resources from both parties and interest groups are positively associated with institutionalized relationships, but also that resources are hierarchically ordered: resources that are exclusive for the transaction are particularly important for ties at higher levels of institutionalization. Using data from a novel organizational survey of parties and interest groups in seven Western democracies, we find support for the hypotheses using an integrated design of analysis.

All are welcome!