{"id":88,"date":"2015-02-11T10:13:18","date_gmt":"2015-02-11T10:13:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scscsussex.wordpress.com\/?p=88"},"modified":"2015-02-11T10:13:18","modified_gmt":"2015-02-11T10:13:18","slug":"lobbying-problems-and-challenges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/centre-for-the-study-of-corruption\/2015\/02\/11\/lobbying-problems-and-challenges\/","title":{"rendered":"Lobbying; Problems and Challenges"},"content":{"rendered":"

On February 10, Transparency International UK launched its new report<\/a>, \u2018Lifting the Lid on Lobbying\u2019.\u00a0 As lead researcher, The University of Sussex’s Liz David-Barrett <\/a>sets out the main findings below.<\/p>\n

Lobbying is a critical part of the policy-making process in a liberal democracy.\u00a0 If we imagine a world without lobbying, that would require politicians and civil servants to be experts in a vast range of areas.\u00a0 But it would also require them to be prophets, able to foresee all of the future consequences of their policies for the many different stakeholder groups in society.<\/p>\n

The fact that interest groups influence policy, then, is not a problem, but it does raise difficult questions about how to ensure that everyone who needs<\/em> a voice has one and that the level of access and influence available to different groups is fair<\/em>.\u00a0 Moreover, lobbying is not just about the making of laws and policies.\u00a0 Groups lobby to win contracts, to influence appointments to public bodies, and to shape the way that funds are allocated.\u00a0 What is at stake is how public money is spent and whether it serves the public interest.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, these questions place an enormous burden on politicians and policy-makers to ensure that they make decisions on the basis of sound evidence and can make thoughtful judgements among competing claims.\u00a0 This also requires the public to place great trust in policy-makers.<\/p>\n

That trust is severely challenged at the moment.\u00a0 TI\u2019s last Global Corruption Barometer found that 59% of UK respondents believed that the UK government is \u2018entirely\u2019 or \u2018to a large extent\u2019 run by a few big entitites acting in their own best interests.\u00a0 In common usage, the term \u2018lobbying\u2019 is shorthand for something exclusive, dirty and unfair, something corrupt.<\/p>\n

These concerns were shared by David Cameron, when he was opposition leader.\u00a0 In 2010, he described lobbying as the next big scandal waiting to happen and promised to regulate it more effectively.\u00a0 Yet our research revealed 14 new scandals related to lobbying and the revolving door that have emerged since his speech.\u00a0 And that is just the scandals that came to light.<\/p>\n

Why is this?\u00a0 What\u2019s going wrong with lobbying in the UK?<\/p>\n

First, transparency<\/strong> is severely lacking.\u00a0 We found that the vast majority of lobbying in the UK occurs behind closed doors. \u00a0Disclosure of lobbying meetings is only required for official ministerial meetings and those with Permanent Secretaries. Yet a great deal of policy-making and lobbying takes place elsewhere, as our interviews with both policy-makers and lobbyists confirmed.<\/p>\n

Lobbying of parliamentarians, lobbying of all but the most senior civil servants, lobbying of local government officials and elected members, and lobbying of a vast number of public agencies can take place without<\/em> records of the meetings being disclosed. Indeed, even lobbying targeted at Ministers need not be disclosed if it occurs outside Departmental meetings.<\/p>\n

Another problem here concerns the role of \u2018big money\u2019 \u2013 that is, large donations by individuals – in financing political parties.\u00a0 \u00a0It seems that money might be buying influence, whether in the form of access to policy-makers, honours, or peerages.<\/p>\n

A second set of issues relates to the integrity<\/strong> of policy makers.\u00a0 Recent scandals have revealed politicians and crown servants who were willing to abuse their powers to benefit a private interest group, did so in exchange for payment, and failed to declare such payments. \u00a0Other scandals relate to the revolving door, whereby individuals trade on knowledge or contacts gained in public employment when they leave public office (or in anticipation of leaving public office).<\/p>\n

These cases suggest that some individuals see public office as an asset which can be traded.\u00a0 Their behavior showed disregard for the rules which were supposed to shape their conduct, as well as a shocking lack of respect for the spirit of those rules.\u00a0 We also found that the rules regulating the conduct of politicians and public officials vary considerably in the different national and devolved institutions of the United Kingdom.\u00a0 This seems a recipe for confusion, and poor accountability.<\/p>\n

The third issue is access<\/strong>.\u00a0 Lobbying looks corrupt when it grants or facilitates preferential access to some groups or individuals, or serves only narrow interests rather than the broader public interest. \u00a0It is inevitable that some organisations and individuals are better equipped to engage in public policy and lobbying than others, but policy makers should account for this. While it is impossible to ensure that all groups have equal access, our research suggests that, in the UK, money can buy access. \u00a0This prompts suspicions that access is unfair and that decisions are taken to serve the interests of those with greater resources.<\/p>\n

Policy-making is becoming more technical and complex. One consequence is that politicians and civil servants increasingly look to external experts for advice, including advisory groups, academic institutions and think tanks. \u00a0The current UK government has also created \u2018management boards\u2019 responsible for overseeing the strategic direction of individual departments.<\/p>\n

While these new governance mechanisms may be necessary, it is not clear that the rules and regulation have caught up. \u00a0The process of selecting members of advisory groups lacks transparency, raising risks that external advisors might promote their own agendas.<\/p>\n

Secondments into government from private-sector companies also raise questions. \u00a0When management consultancies provide staff off the public payroll to work on technical details of policy or implementation in government departments, there is a risk they might shape policy to suit themselves or their clients.<\/p>\n

The Lobbying Act<\/strong> ostensibly sought to address these issues, but it is grossly inadequate. \u00a0First, it defines lobbyists and the lobbied too narrowly, so that only a tiny proportion of those involved in lobbying are covered by its rules.\u00a0 Second, the requirements for disclosure on those lobbyists that are<\/em> included are minimal, far weaker than similar disclosure requirements in the United States for example.\u00a0 Finally, the sanctions for those who are found to have breached the Act are insignificant, a paltry amount compared to the sums spent on lobbying.<\/p>\n

Our new report sets out 15 recommendations to reform lobbying in the UK.\u00a0 Let us hope that the incoming government will be ready to take up the challenge.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On February 10, Transparency International UK launched its new report, \u2018Lifting the Lid on Lobbying\u2019.\u00a0 As lead researcher, The University of Sussex’s Liz David-Barrett sets out the main findings below. Lobbying is a critical part of the policy-making process in…<\/span><\/p>\n

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