Who pays? Who gains? How do costs and benefits shape the policy influence of the European Parliament?

Abstract:

This article contributes to the burgeoning literature on the policy influence of the European Parliament (EP) by testing and further developing an analytical framework that investigates the links between EP influence and the costs and benefits delivered by different types of policy. A set of hypotheses is derived from the literature and tested empirically against four case studies. The key findings are that the EP is more able to exercise influence in the regulatory than the distributive policy field, but that in both cases the status and nature of the cost-payers and beneficiaries of EP amendments are key determinants of influence.