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Introduction | Analysis | Principles | Contact Us
Permanent URL: www.oecd.org/gov/ethics/lobbying
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Why does lobbying get so much attention?
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Interest groups that make efforts to influence government decisions are common-place in modern democracies. Lobbying can improve policy making by providing valuable insights and data, but it can also result in unfair advantages for vested interests if processes are opaque.
With the financial and economic crisis – massive government bailouts and stimulus packages, efforts to re-write regulations and formulate exit strategies – the stakes of lobbying are higher than ever. Increased transparency and integrity in lobbying are needed to safeguard public decision making.
Many countries are considering or developing guidelines and rules requiring lobbying disclosure to address demands to shed light on communications between public officials and lobbyists. Lobbyists also recognise the damaging public perception of undue influence-peddling by the lobbying profession.
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How is the OECD making a difference?
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The OECD reviews experiences and lessons learned from existing regulation in order to support evidence-based policy debate on how to enhance transparency, accountability and integrity in lobbying. The OECD has also responded to public concerns by developing the Principles for Transparency and Integrity in Lobbying.
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OECD Comparative Analysis on Lobbying
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Some recent publications which presents findings of OECD comparative analysis on lobbying are:
Lobbyists, Government and Public Trust, Volume 1: Increasing Transparency through Legislation examines current approaches, models, trends and state-of-the-art solutions to support a deeper understanding of the potential and limitations of existing legislation and government regulations.
Read
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Lobbyists, Government and Public Trust, Volume 2: Promoting Integrity by Self-regulation reviews experience of measures applied by lobbyist associations and the private sector for promoting integrity and transparency in lobbying.
It includes the results of a unique survey of lobbyists' attitude in Europe that highlight how existing measures function.
See also
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Principles for Transparency and Integrity in Lobbying
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In February 2010, the OECD Council approved the OECD Recommendation on Principles for Transparency and Integrity in Lobbying. This is the first international policy instrument to provide guidance for policy-makers on how to promote good governance principles in lobbying.
The instrument is an important contribution to support cleaner, fairer and stronger economies as it promotes open government and a level playing field for businesses and stakeholders in developing and implementing public policies.
The Principles reflect country experiences with diverse socio-political and administrative contexts in both OECD and non-member countries.They were developed on the basis of reviewed experiences and lessons learned at both central and sub-national levels of government.
For more information about Transparency and Integrity in Lobbying please contact the OECD Integrity Unit at gov.integrity@oecd.org.
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