Methods of Political Influence of Weak Interests Using the Example of the Reform Process of the Bundesteilhabegesetz (Federal Participation Act)

Abstract

People with disabilities and their associations should have the opportunity to participate in decision-making processes by following the principle of “nothing about us without us,” according to the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities. This slogan was pursued as part of the reform process of the Federal Participation Act (Bundesteilhabegesetz) in Germany. Interest groups of people with disabilities (also referred to as “weak interests” in reference to association research) were intensively involved in various stages of the process. This article is based on results of a dissertation project that involved the process tracing method of the reform process of this new law. This paper takes a closer look at the methods of political influence used by interest groups of people with disabilities. Which activities were particularly effective in the context of the process considered here? What can other interest groups learn from the reform process of the Federal Participation Act about the direct use of power resources and lobbying? The power resource approach adapted to weak interests provides a basis, as do various lobbying activities, for demonstrating different ways in which weak interests influence the reform process. As the paper will show, the mix of different lobbying activities helped to assert some of their demands.