Explaining Bias in Membership Numbers: An Empirical Analysis of Noneconomic Interest Groups in Germany

Since noneconomic interest groups are important for a fair and equal interest intermediation process in Western democracies, studying the bias in their membership numbers is crucial to explain the discrepancies in the representation of different interests in the political process. This book provides important insights into the determinants of group membership by capturing factors from different analytical levels, establishing an unprecedented analysis of the membership development of noneconomic interest groups in Germany over 29 years.

Marie Elisabeth Zeidler is a research and teaching fellow at the Department of Social Sciences at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany.