Following the Money: Trade Associations, Political Activity and Climate Change

• In Event: Climate Politics from Top to Bottom

Abstract

The political activities of business actors have thwarted state efforts to address climate change. Yet, scholars are still to analyze the political activities of trade associations that firms use to coordinate their activities. Using an original dataset built from trade associations’ IRS filings, we find that trade associations spent $3.4 billion on political activities related to climate change issues between 2008 and 2018. Specifically, trade associations spent $2.16 billion on public relations, $729 million on lobbying, $394 million on grants and $105 million on political contributions. Our data challenges the prevailing assumptions in the literature that lobbying and political contributions are the primary political activities of business actors. To explain this striking variation in political activities, we present the findings from regression analysis and semi-structured interviews. It highlights that trade associations spending is not only highly correlated to revenues, but that the choice of strategy is strongly related to the specific roles and functions of trade associations. We argue political scientists have for too long failed to account for one of the most important opponents of climate policies; trade associations.

Author

• Christian Downie, Australian National University