Preventing Policy Capture

Integrity in Public Decision Making

In series:OECD Public Governance Reviewsview more titles

Published on March 30, 2017

Also available in: Spanish

This report exposes how “policy capture”, where public decisions over policies are consistently or repeatedly directed away from the public interest towards a specific interest, can exacerbate inequalities and undermine democratic values, economic growth and trust in government. It maps out the different mechanisms and risks of policy capture, and provides guidance for policy makers on how to mitigate these risks through four complementary strategies: engaging stakeholders with diverging interests; ensuring transparency and access to information; promoting accountability; and identifying and mitigating the risk of capture through organisational integrity policies.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Expand

Foreword and Acknowledgements	Read Download PDF
Executive summary	Read Download PDF
No country is immune to policy capture	Read Download PDF
How does policy capture happen?	Read Download PDF
Policy measures to prevent policy capture	Read Download PDF

Influence and Integrity in Policy-Making

Influencing policy-makers is a core part of a democratic system. Lobbyists and advocacy groups bring valuable information to the policy debate. In practice, however, powerful groups can exert influence to further their particular interests, often at the expense of the public interest.

What are the risks of influence and the solutions?

Coalition of influencers

The Coalition welcomes stakeholders from government, business, academia and civil society working on integrity in decision-making related issues. It is designed to serve as an inclusive and non-discriminatory platform to constructively examine the tools and effects of vested interests’ influence on public policy.