ABSTRACT
This chapter proceeds with a discussion of the theoretical expectations about variation in group appearances across policy areas and political arenas. Interest groups may affect politics by accessing different political arenas. While interest groups are ultimately politically and democratically relevant because of their political influence, the chapter aims to assume that gaining access to political arenas is a crucial step towards affecting the public agenda and the decisions made. In the administrative, arena business groups dominate, while public interest groups have a very high access share in parliament and the media. For identity groups the level of access is high when it comes to health and education and low for environment, while public interest groups are most successful in the environment area. The chapter focuses on an often claimed but rarely analysed proposition: that interest group appearance in politics depend crucially on the policy area in question.
