Paul A. Shotton spent ten years working in Brussels as a public affairs professional. During this time he worked for the media, trade associations, campaign organisations and in consultancy. As Principal Lecturer at The Hague University’s Programme for European Studies he lectures, researchers and heads the Department for Public Administration. His current research focuses upon the role and impact of social media in advocacy as well as agency problems faced by lobbying organisations. Paul G. Nixon is a Principal Lecturer in Political Science and Head of Research at the Programme for European Studies, The Hague University of Applied Sciences. He has experience of a number of European Union projects such as GAIDA and COST-14 projects in the broad areas of democratization, transparency and the media. He has edited a number of collections and contributed chapters to others on the use of ICTs particularly in the fields of political parties, electronic democracy and social welfare.
’The attention of scholars and practitioners to EU interest representation has grown rapidly, but thus far the two communities have rarely met. This volume is the first in its kind to bring together academic and practice oriented work on public affairs in the EU. It is state of the art and stimulating, a much needed contribution to this developing field.’ Arco Timmermans, Leiden University, the Netherlands ’This book offers a unique collection of state-of-the art scientific expertise and insightful professional perspectives on lobbying and public affairs in the European Union. It is one of the first true dialogues between academic and professional experts within this field and is therefore very valuable for both academics and professionals interested in the role of societal interests in the European Union.’ Caelesta Braun, Utrecht University, The Netherlands