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Validity and Variation in the Parentela Policy Network: Conflict and Cooperation between Ruling Parties and Interest Groups in Bulgaria Mihail Petkov PhD – The University of Edinburgh – 2015 Table of Contents Chapter 1:The Parentela Policy Network Type.............................................................1 1.1. Introduction............................................................................................................1 1.2. Parentela: Definition and Formation Causes.........................................................8 1.3. Preliminary Observations.....................................................................................16 1.3.1. Traces of Party-Insider Group Network Relationships.................................17 1.3.2. Party Political Appointments........................................................................23 1.3.3. Absence of a Party Hegemon........................................................................26 1.4. Conclusion and Thesis Outline............................................................................27 CHAPTER 2: Parentela Operationalisation................................................................34 2.1. Introduction..........................................................................................................34 2.2. Defining the Parentela Policy Network...............................................................35 2.3. Policy Network Descriptors.................................................................................39 2.3.1. Power Ratio (Asymmetry)............................................................................45 2.3.2. Network Dynamics.......................................................................................56 2.3.3. Degree of Access...........................................................................................56 2.3.4. Primary Venue and Venue Scope..................................................................58 2.4. Policy Network Classification.............................................................................61 2.4.1. Subgovernments............................................................................................61 2.4.2. Policy Communities......................................................................................62 2.4.3. Clientela........................................................................................................63 2.4.4. Issue Networks..............................................................................................64 2.4.5. Parentela........................................................................................................65 2.4.6. Policy Network Classification Using Network Descriptors.........................65 2.5. Conclusion...........................................................................................................66 CHAPTER 3: Elite Interviews, Systems Design and Case Studies............................68 3.1. Introduction..........................................................................................................68 3.2. Elite Respondent Pools Comparison....................................................................71 3.3. Causes of Elite Respondent Reluctance and Resistance......................................84 3.3.1. Insider/Outsider Positionality...................................................................84 3.3.2. Expert Positionality...................................................................................85 3.3.3. Adversarial Positionality Types................................................................87 3.4. Reducing Elite Respondent Reluctance and Resistance Using an Intermediary. 91 3.4.1. Respondent Selection Stage..........................................................................94 3.4.1.1. Specific Respondent Selection...............................................................94 3.4.1.2. Offering an Incentive.............................................................................95 3.4.1.3. Intermediary’s Respondent Identification and Researcher legitimation96 3.4.1.4. Intermediary Snowballing......................................................................97 3.4.2. Interview stage..............................................................................................99 3.4.2.1. Interview structure.................................................................................99 3.4.2.2. The Active Interview............................................................................100 3.4.2.3. Intermediaries at Active Interviews.....................................................102 3.4.2.3.1Casual Conversation...............................................................................104 3.4.2.3.2Support to the Respondent...................................................................105 3.4.2.3.3Support to the Researcher.....................................................................106 3.4.2.3.4Eliciting More Information.....................................................................107 3.4.2.4. Limitations to the use of the intermediary at elite interviews..............111 3.5. Causality, Comparative Designs and Case Studies............................................114 iii 3.6. Conclusion.........................................................................................................116 CHAPTER 4: The Party in Power as a Parentela Primary Venue: The Case of National Council on Tripartite Cooperation (NCTC)...............................................118 4.1. Introduction........................................................................................................118 4.2. Party Intervention and the National Council for Tripartite Consultations (NCTC) ...................................................................................................................................119 4.3. Alternative Perspectives on NCTC: Prime-Ministerial Democracy or Oligarchy ...................................................................................................................................128 4.3.1. Prime-Ministerial Democracy.....................................................................128 4.3.2. Bulgarian Oligarchy....................................................................................135 4.4. Conclusion.........................................................................................................137 CHAPTER 5: Party Political Appointments and Venue Scope................................138 5.1. Introduction........................................................................................................138 5.2. Scope of Party Political Appointments in Bulgaria...........................................141 5.3. Structure of Appointments on Central and Local Level....................................148 5.4. Explaining Party Political Appointments: Political Distrust..............................155 5.4.1. Party’s Distrust of Independent Expertise...................................................158 5.4.2. Distrust of Appointees of Party Electoral Losers........................................163 5.4.3. Insider Agreements and Resource Exchange..............................................164 CHAPTER 6: Insiderness, Cooperation and Power Symmetry................................169 6.1. Introduction........................................................................................................169 6.2. Core Insider Status, Cooperation and Power Parity...........................................172 6.2.1. Expertise for Access....................................................................................173 6.2.2. Voter Support and Ideological Proximity for Access..................................177 6.2.3. Campaign Funds for Access........................................................................184 6.3. Preliminary Results and Limitations..................................................................187 iv 6.4. Conclusion.........................................................................................................191 CHAPTER 7: Profiling Private Parentela Actors.....................................................193 7.1. Introduction........................................................................................................193 7.2. Circles of Big Business and the Parentela.........................................................195 7.2.1. Core Insider Status, Exchange, and Party Political Appointments.............196 7.2.2. Circles and Party Political Appointments...................................................197 7.2.3. Existence