Pros And Cons Of Lobbying And Corruption

Lobbying is the is the effort to influence policy formulation and decision-making with a view to obtaining some designated result from government authorities and elected representatives (Council of Europe, 2013). 'Pressure groups' are a key element of politics and their activity is an indispensable and legitimate aspect of the legislative process. However, in light of recent scandals involving lobbyists and legislators, the public perception of the phenomenon is highly-distorted. Lobbying is reduced to a grey area where individual interests meet those of the political class. This conception of lobbying is closely linked to the lack of effective regulatory regimes. If released from well-defined rules, lobbying inevitably leads to corruption;

In the absence of information on specific issues of public interest, government representatives are sometimes called to guess which policy proposals deserve to be carried forward and which ones do not, often making the wrong decision. It is therefore in the very interest of governments to protect and regulate lobbying activity.
In the US, the right to petition the government and thus to exert pressure on public officials is enshrined in the Constitution itself, while in some European countries, interest representatives are granted ‘hall-passes’ which allow access to legislators.
However, despite the original purpose of lobbying, to intercede on behalf of the public and promote common interests, this practice has acquired a negative connotation. Lobbying can in fact undermine the goodness and legitimacy of government activity. In this regard, lobbyists have been recorded offering money to lawmakers in exchange for legislative decrees that favoured their own interest or that of their clients. In response to these scandals, governments around the world have tried to develop strong regulatory systems act to ensure transparency in