Lobbying industry аnd prospects for comparative studies

Abstract

Lobbying is rapidly changing its reputational status, it is recognized as a phenomenon of systemic political and economic relations. The lobbying industry has become subject to regulation, which leads to transparency of the political process, creates conditions for a legal dialogue between the state and the business sector, between the state and civil society institutions, and therefore it is important to study the prospects of comparative studies of lobbying regulation. The article examines the standards established in the field of lobbying regulation, including the standards for measuring (indexing) the effectiveness of lobbying regulation which have been formed in comparative studies of legal acts relating to lobbying. It is noted that the rationale for introducing lobbying regulation is based on ensuring both transparency of the policy-making process and accountability of the political system structures. It is transparency that allows the public to hold politicians accountable for their decisions or lack thereof. If the policy-making process is transparent, the political process becomes more constructive, as decisions, including legislative ones, go through all the required stages of reflection, consideration and discussion. Regulatory practices comprise a set of indicators, such as: registers of stakeholders; registers of lobbyists; consultation procedures; conditions of physical access to government buildings; revolving door mechanisms; resolution of conflicts of interest; political financing; publicity of politicians' agendas, with calendars of meetings of senior officials; mechanisms for determining the legislative footprint; mechanisms for transparency of public procurement and fight against corruption. These indicators have become the basis for the introduction of indices (the Ofeim Index, the Newmark Index, the Crepaz and Chari Index, the Holman and Luneburg Index, the Roth Index, the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), and the Transparency International Lobbying Transparency Index) that measure the effectiveness of legislation and provide an opportunity to assess lobbying regulation models. The study of new analysis tools creates opportunities for the development of more effective lobbying regulation models and the creation of a more transparent and fair political process.