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Lobbying and Public Affairs in Europe: Some Comparative Remarks

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Book cover Lobbying in Europe

Abstract

When dealing with the various interest group systems and lobbying industries of EU countries, an analyst can encounter various obstacles. In this chapter, we comment on the methodological problems arising from such analysis, such as the lack of definite theoretical and professional boundaries, the presence of reliable information and the comparability of data. We then try to highlight the main trends emerging from a comparative overview of the 28+1 cases presented in the book, which include a general expansion of the industry and a growing professionalization, even if with very different situations. Furthermore, a major concern over lobbying regulation and a ubiquitous negative public perception in general can be underlined, even if with different outcomes. Lastly, we put in relation the growth of the European lobbying industry with the crisis of the traditional actors of representative democracy (mainly political parties) and with the broad changes affecting the European political, economic and social systems today.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    It is worth considering how this is probably one of the main cultural differences between most European countries and the American context, where instead the word “lobbyist” is much more accepted and commonly used by lobbyists themselves (Thomas and Hrebenar 2009). In Europe various studies noted “the plethora of terms used by lobbyists to describe their work—parliamentary relations, government relations, public affairs, political PR, parliamentary counselling, political opinion forming, issue management, among others—before noting that the one word which tends not to appear in any agency’s brochure is ‘lobbying’” (McGrath 2005, 127).

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. IES Abroad Rome, Rome, Italy

    Alberto Bitonti

  2. University of Chester, Chester, UK

    Phil Harris

  3. Roma Tre University, Rome, Italy

    Claudia Mariotti

Authors
  1. Alberto Bitonti
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  2. Phil Harris
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  3. Claudia Mariotti
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. IES Abroad Rome, Rome, Italy

    Alberto Bitonti

  2. University of Chester, Chester, United Kingdom

    Phil Harris

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Bitonti, A., Harris, P., Mariotti, C. (2017). Lobbying and Public Affairs in Europe: Some Comparative Remarks. In: Bitonti, A., Harris, P. (eds) Lobbying in Europe. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-55256-3_32

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