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Business Power in Noisy Politics: An Exploration Based on Discourse Network Analysis and Survey Data
[journal article]
Abstract This study links voter-centred and interest group perspectives to assess the role structurally powerful businesses can play in contested political issues. Revisiting the literature on business influence in politics, incumbent businesses are theorised to strategically use their structural power to in... view more
This study links voter-centred and interest group perspectives to assess the role structurally powerful businesses can play in contested political issues. Revisiting the literature on business influence in politics, incumbent businesses are theorised to strategically use their structural power to influence voters' preferences. The conceptual framework is illustrated with a case study of a direct democratic vote related to Swiss energy policy. To empirically trace the role incumbent businesses played in the run-up to the vote, the study employs a two-step approach. First, it uses Discourse Network Analysis (DNA) to examine arguments and actor coalitions in the public debate preceding the vote. Second, the DNA results inform a statistical analysis of survey data on voting behaviour. The findings suggest that incumbent businesses can use their structural power strategically to shape voting behaviour. The study stimulates the discussion about political power relationships in societies and enriches the nascent debate about phasing out unsustainable energy infrastructure. Importantly, it opens up ways to combine DNA with other methods, an avenue that shows promise for use and further refinement in future applications.... view less
Keywords
enterprise; influence; voting behavior; Switzerland; energy policy
Classification
Political Process, Elections, Political Sociology, Political Culture
Free Keywords
Discourse Network Analysis; Switzerland; business; direct democracy; energy; energy policy; nuclear power; phase-out; preference formation; structural power
Document language
English
Publication Year
2020
Page/Pages
p. 286-297
Journal
Politics and Governance, 8 (2020) 2
Issue topic
Policy Debates and Discourse Network Analysis
ISSN
2183-2463
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed