Access for all? Socio-demographic biases and interest group access to the European Parliament
研究利益集团游说团队和欧洲议会议员的社会人口特征（性别、国籍）如何影响利益集团获得议员接见的机会，发现性别平衡的团队更易获得准入，且性别和国籍相似性促进互动。
This article focuses on the access that interest groups secure to Members of the European Parliament (MEPs). It examines whether and how interest group access is influenced by the socio-demographic characteristics of lobbying teams and politicians, including gender and national origin. Guided by similarity attraction theory, the study hypothesises that interest groups staffed by lobbyists from underprivileged socio-demographic backgrounds (i.e., women, Central and Eastern European, or non-EU origin) are less likely to secure access to MEPs. However, it suggests that MEPs from similar backgrounds are less susceptible to such biases. To test these expectations, the study utilises a combination of door pass data to the European Parliament, reported meetings on the European Parliament's website, and desk research. The results show that lobbying teams with a balanced gender composition are more likely to secure access to MEPs, and that similarities in gender and national origin facilitate interactions between MEPs and lobbying teams. The study offers valuable insights into the inclusiveness and socio-demographic biases within EU public affairs.