Lobbying
Lobbying is a process, usually by interest groups or persons who are not elected officials, intended to influence the policy of a government or the voting in a legislature. Contrary to some popular opinion, lobbying is not synonymous with bribery, but often is a process of informing the official being lobbied why the lobbyist's view is desirable.
The process, however, may involve appeals from one official to another. The term probably derives from the use of the Members' Lobby in the Parliament of the United Kingdom, in which parliamentarians try to convince others in informal conversation.
Professional lobbyists have come into disrepute in some countries. There have been various conflict of interest rules, but, in countries including the State of Israel[1] and the United States of America[2], there are new initiatives to regulate lobbying.
References
- ↑ Sheera Claire Frenkel (20 December 2007), New bill set to rein in Knesset lobbyists
- ↑ Dan Eggen (27 November 2009), "Lobbyists pushed off advisory panels: White House initiative to limit influence could affect thousands", Washington Post