Political Species

Karsten Ronit is Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. He has broad competence in the study of organized interests with special expertise in business and employer associations, civil society organizations, and other intermediary institutions. He takes an interest in the comparative aspects of politics and business and examines how business and civil society operate in different national contexts. He is also engaged in projects examining the behavior of business and civil society organizations at the international level. He has published in a number of international journals, contributed to many books, and more recently published the monographs Global Business Associations (Routledge, 2018) and The Governance of Global Industry Associations: The Role of Micro-Politics (Edward Elgar, 2022).

• List of illustrations, Preface, List of abbreviations, 1. Introduction—setting the scene 2. Evolution—analyzing gradual changes 3. Ecology—accounting for wholes 4. Biogeography—studying large spaces 5. Niche—exploring small spaces 6. Competition—researching multiple interactions 7. Adaptation—examining vital adjustments 8. Taxonomy—organizing evolutionary diversity 9. Conclusion—combining conceptual insights , Bibliography, Index

"A wonderfully stimulating reading on the role of private actors in the political realm. Karsten Ronit impressively demonstrates the analytical power and value added that the use of concepts derived from evolutionary theory has for the social sciences.”Prof. Dr. Jakob Lempp, Professor for Political Science, Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences