Inside lobbying regulation in Poland and the Czech Republic: negotiating public and private actors' roles in governance
Abstrakt
The wave of attempts at lobbying regulation at national levels in Europe over the last decade highlights an increasing interest on the side of policy-makers to propose rules for lobbying in the context of a crisis of trust in political representatives. However, these initiatives lead to a paradox: Public and private actors want to be seen as supporting lobbying regulation, yet these same actors often contribute to the ineffectiveness and lack of implementation of the regulations.
What is at stake for these actors when lobbying regulations are drafted and negotiated? Based on an interpretive policy analysis of the lobbying regulation processes initiated by governments in Poland (2003-2005) and the Czech Republic (2011-2013), the article shows how decisions about the design of the core policy instruments of lobbying regulations, registers of lobbyists and reporting obligations, contribute to shaping the institutional framework of state-society relations.