Interest groups and policy analysis in Belgium: Examining the policy-analytical capacities and practices of prominent citizen and economic groups

This chapter analyses the way in which interest groups acquire critical information and how they use this knowledge in their interaction with policymakers. The authors briefly introduce the Belgian system of interest representation, and clarify the (varying) role organized interests play in policymaking. Next, the policy capacities of a diverse set of prominent Belgian interest groups are analyzed. Here, the authors address how these groups organize to produce policy advice, and which actors supply them with critical information. The authors furthermore clarify their political activities, as well as discuss how these groups evaluate their policy work.