Comparing populations of interest organizations: Skating on thin ice?

I discuss the major challenges of designing ‘contextual’ models of interest representation. I focus on system-level contextual variables and, especially in the latter part, on the study of group populations. How can we design large-n, explanatory, comparative research on interest representation that is sensitive to contextual factors? I argue that the complexities in these designs can be ‘managed’ by the careful subdivision of research questions along the lines of the influence production process. This facilitates the employment of relatively specific theoretical frameworks that allow researchers to empirically disregard various contextual factors. In a lot of ways this is already common practice. With this I add a positive note to the similar argument by Lowery et al (2008 1245-46) on comparative research. I provide an example of a design of a major, on-going comparative study into populations of interest organizations.