The article deals with the influence of organized social groups and their interests on laws and public policies. The subject of the analysis is new Serbian social legislation with 2011 Law on Social Protection being the subject of the most detailed analysis. Two methodological tools were used: (1) analysis of documents and (2) semi-structured interviews with key actors involved in shaping laws and public policies. Using policy network and institutional analysis we identify social groups and their interests that shaped welfare policies. Particular attention is devoted to the role and influence of international epistemic communities. In this article we analyze in detail the redistributive and ideological dimensions of policy networks involved in drafting and adoption of laws and public policies that are in the focus of this analysis.