This research line covers everything that can be summarized under the broad heading of state-society relations. During the past decades the number of interest associations and civil society organizations has increased both within states, at the supranational and the global level. At the same time, we have witnessed a decline of party politics, in the form of lower turn-out, higher volatility, and decreasing membership. This research line concentrates on the development of interest group communities situated at multiple levels of government and in different institutional contexts (Europe, WTO, UN, Belgium, Flanders), and deals with how interest organizations adapt their internal structure as well as their external strategies.

Key publications