August 31, 2018 The Plastic Lobby A thesis on the development and improvement of the Interest Group Influence Framework applied in the political context of the Netherlands Stijn Vendrik #10247653 [email protected] Master thesis Political Science – Public Policy & Governance Graduate School of Social Sciences University of Amsterdam Supervisor: Dr. C. M. Roggeband Second reader: Dr. R. M. Sanchez Salgado Word count: 27.174 Abbreviations ACF = Advocacy Coalition Framework CBL = Centraal Bestuur Levensmiddelenhandel CPB = Centraal Planbureau FNLI = Federatie Nederlandse Levensmiddelen Industrie IGIF = Interest Group Influence Framework KHN = Koninklijke Horeca Nederland KIDV = Kennisinstituut Duurzaam Verpakken MP = Member of parliament NGO = Non-governmental organization PDMS = Packaging deposit money system VNG = Vereniging Nederlandse Gemeenten 2 Table of Contents Abbreviations 2 Abstract 4 Introduction 5 1. Theoretical review 10 1.1 The issues of influence measurement 1.2 The interest group influence framework 1.3 Flaws and improvements 2. Research design 22 2.1 Influence measurement methods 2.2 Research data 3. Case description 27 3.1 The PDMS in a broader context 3.2 Political developments 3.3 A new directive 4. Stakeholder analysis 24 4.1 The non-profit oriented advocacy coalition: political parties 4.2 The non-profit oriented advocacy coalition: interest groups 4.3 The profit oriented advocacy coalition 4.4 The coalition parties 5. Analysis 47 Conclusion 54 References 55 3 Abstract Lobbyists and interest groups form an essential part of a well-functioning democratic society. Their knowledge and expertise provide policymakers with the input they need to make well-informed decisions. However, how influential are these lobbyists exactly and what determines the extent of their influence? Based on the work of political scientists like Andreas Dür and others, the Interest Group Influence Framework is developed; a tool which can be used to analyse a specific policy process in which one or multiple interest groups were actively influencing the outcome. By applying this tool to the case of the extension of the packaging deposit money system in the Netherlands, it provides a valuable understanding and explanation of the influential role these interest groups had within this policy process. The findings of this research do not only provide a comprehension of the different aspects of the case, but also make a first step in the development of an analytic tool applicable to other policy processes and in comparative case studies as well. Key words: Lobbyists; Interest groups; lobbying success; interest group influence framework; advocacy coalition framework; environmental policy; Netherlands; packaging deposit money system. 4 Introduction “Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (Brundtland Report 1987: 37). This was the definition provided in 1987 by the World Commission on Environment and Development in their famous report ‘Our Common Future’, otherwise known as the Brundtland Report. Headed by the former Norwegian prime minister Gro Harlem Brundtland, this commission was set up as the result of the growing international concern with numerous global environmental threats following the boundless growth-based economic development taking place around the world. The magnitude of issues like pollution, deforestation, desertification, ozone layer depletion and also global warming were starting to get recognized and the question was raised how to protect the environment, while still maintaining economic development at the same time. The Brundtland Commission had the purpose of identifying these problems, raising awareness of these problems and promoting the implementation of sustainable solutions to these problems within the international community. This commission popularized the term ‘sustainable development’ and strongly influenced the public debate, the political discourse and the national and international policies, of which the 1992 Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit and consequently the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 2015 Paris Agreement are some prime examples. The influence of the Brundtland Report can also be seen within the national political context of the Netherlands in the growing focus of its government on sustainable development. The year 2050 marks a special moment in time in the policy agenda of the Dutch government. This is the year that the Netherlands, according to their current objectives, will become a country with a climate neutral society and a circular functioning economy. For the purpose of managing the inevitable resource shortages, as well as diminishing the harmful environmental effects the current consumption patterns have, the Dutch government has started a program in September 2016 called ‘Nederland Circulair in 2050’, which has the objective of transforming the finite growth-based economy into a sustainable and circular one, where waste products are no longer disposed off, but rather reused as new resources in a continuing cyclical process. This program is widely supported by many different stakeholders from different parts of society like entrepreneur- and employee-organisations, environmental protection- and social organisations, municipalities and other governmental authorities, financial and educational institutions and other types of platforms, partnerships and (non-governmental) organisations (NGOs). All of these partners have pledged their dedication to reaching the 2050-objectives of this sustainable development program, when they signed the ‘National Agreement on the Circular Economy’ (Grondstoffenakkoord).1 This national program is focused on five different categories where transitions need to take place. These include ‘biomass & food’, ‘plastics’, ‘manufacturing’, ‘construction’ and ‘consumer goods’. For all of these sectors, transition agendas were developed in accordance with the different participating partners and 1 The title of the document literally translates to ‘raw materials agreement’, but the government of the Netherlands (Rijksoverheid) chose a loosely translated title, namely ‘The National Agreement on the Circular Economy’ (Rijksoverheid 2017a; Rijksoverheid 2017b). 5 presented by the newly formed government Rutte III in January 2018. Although all of these areas are of importance to reach a sustainable, circular economy, one of these areas of transition, the plastics, is especially interesting, for it is not only connected to the intention to deal with the resource scarcity and the consequence of the consumption of these resources on the process of climate change (like it is the case with biomass & food, construction and manufacturing), but also the overall damaging effect these materials have on the environment and its inhabitants, both fauna as well as humans. The effect of plastics on the environment has been a growing concern ever since the production and consumption increased tremendously halfway the twentieth century and plastic debris was discovered in the oceans in the 1960s (Science History Institute n.d.). Although recognized and present on the political agenda, the amount of plastic ending up in the oceans still keeps on increasing. According to research published in 2014, more than five trillion (1012) pieces of micro and nano plastics are afloat in the oceans (Eriksen et al. 2014), where they have a harmful effect on the marine life and a toxic effect on the entire food chain, thus effecting the human health system as well (Gregory 2009; Thompson et al. 2009). Combined with the issue of plastic litter on land as well as the great amount of fossil fuels and energy necessary to produce these materials, society’s demand for plastic is an issue, which is both considerable and complex. The National Agreement on the Circular Economy shows the wide commitment of the Dutch society to deal with this multifaceted issue of plastic consumption. However, the different political and societal stakeholders are in conflict with each other regarding the right methods to reach their goal. “The goal should be central, not the method”, is a phrase often uttered (Tweede Kamer 2018a: 36). On a lot of issues, these methods are subject to discussion within the political arena. Every stakeholder desires the political decisions to be the closest to their own preference and advantage. Lobbyists play an important role in these decision-making processes, for they represent the interests of the different stakeholders and act in an informative manner towards the decision-makers. Decision-makers need these lobbyists because their relevant information, knowledge and expertise enables them to comprehend the situation to the fullest, which allows them to make well-informed decisions. For this reason, lobbyists are an essential part of a well-functioning democratic society in which they fulfil an influential position (Keulen 2017: 260). For a long time, the position of these lobbyists has been and still remains to be a subject of political scientific research. Their activities raise questions regarding the form and extent of their influence as well as the success these lobbyists have in influencing policy outcomes. With regard to the plastic issue and the transition agenda set up in the Netherlands to deal with this issue, the same questions appear. How successful can lobbyists be in their effort to influence policy when it comes to the issue