Lobbying
Topic: Civil Society, Pressure Groups, NGOs and Self-help Groups · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Lobbying means directly persuading lawmakers and officials to shape a policy or law in your favour. Pressure groups do it by meeting ministers, giving views to parliamentary Standing Committees and sending memoranda. A memorandum is a written note of demands. India has no law that requires lobbyists to register or disclose their work. The US has the Lobbying Disclosure Act 1995, and the EU has a Transparency Register. Lobbying carries two main risks. One is regulatory capture, where regulators end up serving the industry they are meant to control. The other is money power.
Example
Before each Union Budget, business bodies like FICCI and CII send pre-budget memoranda to the Finance Ministry. In them, they ask for changes to tax and trade policy.
Don't confuse with
- Direct action: dharnas, strikes and bandhs put public pressure on the government. Lobbying is quiet, direct persuasion of decision-makers.
- Contesting elections: lobbyists try to influence those in power. They do not seek office themselves.