Domestic Embeddedness and the Dynamics of Multilevel Venue Shopping in Four EU Member States

Abstract

This article describes and explains the variable extent to which domestic interest organizations seek access to the multiple venues provided by the European system of governance. A multivariate analysis of data collected in four member states—France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany—reveals substantial variance in multilevel venue shopping, differences that disconfirm some descriptive accounts reported in the Europeanization literature. Surprising is that French organizations develop extensive multilevel strategies while the strategies of Dutch organizations are rather weakly Europeanized. Our analyses offer a better understanding of the factors that stimulate domestic interest groups to seek access to European Union‐level policy venues. Factors such as the nature of policy issues in which groups are involved, the group's relation with domestic parties, and overall domestic embeddedness significantly explains multilevel venue‐shopping. In contrast, other factors such as policy sector or the group's resources generate little explanatory power.