Project approach
Project description:
The research project "'Knowledge is Power': The Boundaries of political consulting and lobbying in the Political Decision-Making Process" addresses the issue of the delineation of boundaries between scientific political consulting and lobbying as well as their role in the practice of political decision-making. The investigation focuses on the structures and the functionality of political consulting, the realization of the substantial basis for decision-making with special consideration of the boundary between the scientific political consulting and lobbying. Both the boundary between scientific political consulting and lobbying and the standards for the legitimacy and legality of various consulting operations in the policy-making process are central in this research. The project aims at analyzing whether consultants and lobbyists are influencing political decisions. Furthermore it will look at actions and performances of political actors. Another field of research will be the structures and legal regulations in the area of political consulting, the subject of the consultation, the tasks and procedures as well as the recruitment and communication styles of different consultants.
By taking up a German-Polish comparative perspective, this pilot project also intends to analyze the similarities and differences in the structure and functioning of political consulting and lobbying in Western and Eastern Europe within their historical and cultural contexts. In this way, the relevant issues pertaining to the problems in those fields shall be identified and explained.
The relevance of political consulting is currently increasing, which can be observed in scientific debates and the fact that this topic is newly found on the agendas of East European EU-Member states, where it has not been found in the recent past. The aim of the project is to develop a comparative study, in order to fill this research gap.
Research priorities:
The main research addresses the delineation of boundaries between scientific political consulting and lobbying, and their role in the political decision-making process, with a special focus on a German-Polish comparative perspective.
Analysis areas:
- Structure and function of political consulting, realization of decision-making content-wise, with special attention to the boundaries of political consulting and lobbying
- Legal regulations in the field of political consulting, object of the consultancy, tasks, method of operating, as well as recruitment and communication of various policy advisors
- Policy advisors' and lobbyists' influence on political decisions and the performance of political players
- Standards for legitimacy and legality of diverse consultancy procedures in political decision-making
Implementation:
- Establishment of an international and interdisciplinary research network around the EUV-AMU-Pivot
- Researchers support students in their empirical studies
- Concomitant seminars that introduce students to the field of policy consulting
- Workshops in order to discuss the progress of the project
- Organization of a conference to present the research results
- Publication of the research results in English in relevant international journals
- Elaboration of relevant problems in the comparative perspective between Germany and Poland as an analysis setting for further investigation in the Eastern European context
- Final Goal: larger comparison project focused on Central and Eastern Europe