Regulating Lobbying: a Global Comparison

Raj Chari is Senior Lecturer in Political Science in the School of Social Sciences and Philosophy at Trinity College DublinJohn Hogan is Lecturer in Political Economy at the Dublin Institute of TechnologyGary Murphy is Associate Professor of Government in the School of Law and Government at Dublin City University

This is an outstanding product of painstaking global comparative research on the regulation of lobbying. The authors have gathered an impressive array of data covering every country in the world that has established lobbying regulation, including a comparative examination of the views of key agents involved and taxonomy of existing political systems. This is the most thorough analysis of lobbying regulation to date, a book that was long due and promises to define the subject for a long time.We've needed a book like this for some time. It's both a very thorough survey and a thought-provoking analysis of lobbying regulations in federal and unitary states alike. The authors say that their book constitutes "a thorough comparative examination of extant lobbying regulations around the world" and this is exactly what they give us. But there is more. This is not just a robust piece of academic research. It actually offers advice for policy makers required to design a system of lobbying regulation. So now there's no excuse: read Chari et al if you want to find out which state has done what to regulate its lobbyists and why, and how and which regulatory systems should be put in place by those wanting to do so. “The first and only book of its kind, this comprehensive assessment of lobbying regulations around the globe explains not only the who’s and the why’s of the lobbying equation but also gives a very useful description of what regulations are in place in different countries across the globe. The book will be recognized as the single best resource for anyone interested in the topic of the regulation of lobbying or political transparency. Through painstaking research in many countries, including national systems as well as sub-national units such as the American states, Canadian provinces, and German Lander, the authors explain and describe the nature of lobbying regulations wherever they are found. They then compare systems with low, moderate, and high degrees of lobbying regulation, explaining the most important outcomes associated with increased lobbying regulation as well as the potential dangers of poorly designed regulation systems. It is a major contribution to the literature and a very impressive accomplishment to put all this information in a single volume. It will be the definitive book on the topic for years to come”.

• List of tablesList of figuresAcknowledgements 1. Outlining central questions and method of analysis2. Political systems with regulations in place in the 1900s: the US, Canada, the EU and Germany3. Political systems with regulations in place in the 2000s: Lithuania, Poland, Hungary, Taiwan and Australia4. Analysis of a quantitative index and classifying regulatory regimes5. Examining findings from surveys and elite interviews in the four political systems with the longest history of lobbying regulation6. Examining the opinions of actors in unregulated jurisdictions7. ConclusionBibliographyAppendix A – Sample calculations of CPI scoresAppendix B – Sample of surveys sentIndex