Comparing firm-centric trade policy lobbying across the Atlantic: the great convergence?

Abstract This study compares trade policy lobbying in the United States and European Union, focusing specifically on patterns of firm-centric trade policy lobbying. Analyzing lobbying data from 2014 to 2018, our research highlights both similarities and differences. On the one hand, we find that in both political systems the economic sectors displaying high multinational corporation (MNC) activity, and product differentiation exhibit higher levels of firm-centric lobbying. On the other hand, we show that there remain two important differences between these two political systems. First, firm-centric lobbying over trade policy is generally higher in the US than in the EU. Second, and relatedly, we find that the effects of MNCs activity, and product differentiation on firm-centric trade policy lobbying is greater in the EU than in the US. Overall, our findings suggest that globalization may be engendering a convergence in how important firm-centric trade policy lobbying is in these two political systems.