In December 2023, a record number of fossil fuel industry lobbyists attended COP28 in Dubai – quadruple the number present the previous year, some sources say. Media and social media responses to this turnout were overwhelmingly negative, concluding that the lobbyists’ presence could only undermine progress on climate change.
Indeed, lobbying – the practice of attempting to influence government policy decisions – is often regarded as a morally dubious activity, detrimental to fair, effective policymaking. We see it as the preserve of persuasive, powerful groups – perhaps rightly, as major corporations and special interests are currently the most active lobbyists.
It's little wonder that many non-profit organizations have been overlooking opportunities to effect positive change through lobbying, not only because the popular imagination associates the practice with shady backroom deals, but because their members also often lack the capacity to lobby effectively.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
At its heart, lobbying plays a crucial role in the dialogue between policymakers and the public. It’s nothing more sinister than an attempt to engage with policymakers and help them understand society’s demands and expectations. Lobbying is an essential component of a democracy ¬– it’s not only legitimate but necessary to expose policymakers to different views from a variety of groups.
At its heart, lobbying plays a crucial role in the dialogue between policymakers and the public.
A growing movement, Lobbying for Good*, is reclaiming lobbying as a way to participate in policy-making. Those challenging the negative perception of lobbying range from nonprofits, social enterprises and charities to civic tech initiatives and some private companies and investors. They all share the desire to craft a new public understanding of the true nature of lobbying – the fastest and most powerful way to scale innovative ideas or programs for social good.
Far from being the preserve of the powerful, lobbying is something anyone and everyone can engage with. But to improve its public perception, we need systemic change and social impact at every level.
Here are the five pillars underpinning the movement and capturing the necessary steps towards a renewed understanding of lobbying across five dimensions of change.
1. Demystify
To benefit from lobbying, nonprofits and social change organizations need to be confident in embracing it without fear of stigma. To put power back in their hands, we need to reframe lobbying as a tool anyone can use, whether they are third-sector organizations or private companies using their power to advocate for societal good.
Governmental, civil and private sector stakeholders across 75 countries campaign for greater transparency and accessibility regulations to raise more awareness on lobbying.
There are groups already working towards this goal. For example, the Open Government Partnership represents governmental, civil and private sector stakeholders across 75 countries. It has been championing lobbying since 2011, campaigning for greater transparency and accessibility regulations to bring lobbying further into public awareness.
2. Democratize
Thanks to its undeserved connotations of secrecy and underhandedness, the process of lobbying is opaque to many of us. To make lobbying accessible to everyone, we all need to know how it works.
Technology can help democratize lobbying by making key information available to the public and giving them the means to start engaging with policymakers. Services like Cicero and Parliamentwatch (Abgeordnetenwatch) connect people with their representatives and provide a window into these politicians’ beliefs and statements.
Meanwhile, the UK’s Whatdotheyknow and the wider European service AsktheEU help citizens request information under the Freedom of Information Act, answering questions about issues they care about and helping them focus on what needs to change.
Technology also enables services that provide advice, funding, and pro bono support to citizen lobbyists. CrowdLobby is a US crowdfunding model that helps citizens pool donations to hire a lobbyist for a cause they care about. The Good Lobby, a project I am part of, connects activists and groups with lobbyists who want to offer their skills pro bono.
3. Level up
Governments have tried to reduce the impact of negatively perceived lobbying by restricting access to policymakers and limiting spending. However, rather than reining in the actions of the few, this has made lobbying less accessible to organizations and individuals. The restrictions have been challenged on the grounds that they infringe on free speech rights. They have also failed to keep up with the ever-evolving methods of lobbying. As a result, decision-makers hear an even narrower range of voices.
Rather than trying to limit the lobbying power of the privileged, levelling up the ability of citizen groups and nonprofits appears a better solution.
Rather than trying to limit the lobbying power of the privileged, levelling up the ability of citizen groups and nonprofits appears a better solution. There are multiple ways we could do this. One is ‘lobbying aid’ – a system akin to legal aid that grants everyone the right to a professional lobbyist if they can’t afford their own. A ‘lobbying tax’ levied on large lobbying expenditures, for example, by big corporations, could fund the scheme. Another idea is lobbying vouchers that would be given to each citizen to ‘invest’ in nonprofits allied to causes the citizen believes in.
4. Fund
Philanthropies and foundations are often hesitant to fund lobbying activities or to undertake their own, often out of reluctance to be portrayed as being too political. Some foundations even restrict their grantees from using funds for lobbying purposes.
Another hurdle is the inability to tie funding to timely results – lobbying, like politics in general, operates over the long term and is often messy and chaotic, whereas grants tend to operate in the short-to-medium term.
Perhaps a change in perspective is needed. Rather than funding lobbying as an activity, foundations and philanthropies can nurture the capacity to lobby by requiring grantees to formulate advocacy plans that include interim goals. Measuring the capacity to advocate or lobby, rather than the outcomes of doing so, could be a more fruitful approach.
5. Make accountable
We have focused on the nonprofit sector and how we can strengthen its lobbying ability. But it is also essential to drive accountability in business, not only to hold self-interested companies liable but to build awareness of and engagement in lobbying among businesses in general.
There is a rising expectation of companies to act ethically and sustainably or risk alienating their customers and employees. This interest in corporate conduct translates into a greater awareness of lobbying activities – particularly those that do not marry up with a company’s touted ethical credentials. If a business claims publicly to be eco-conscious but lobbies against rules that prioritize fighting climate change, the disconnect will be exposed and their bottom line will feel the effects.
Organizations pushing for this kind of accountability include ClimateVoice and InfluenceMap. These help customers and employees keep track of business lobbying related to climate change, the better to nudge corporations into behaving differently. Other nonprofit and commercial organizations address a wider range of policy areas, helping round out a growing ecosystem of Lobbying for Good stakeholders. Together, they are helping businesses aim higher than the minimum disclosure standards set by governments.
Over time, there is potential for lobbying to be re-cast as a widely used and well-understood part of the democratic process rather than something reserved for powerful corporations.
*Learn more about the Good Lobby project in these interviews on Knowledge@HEC:
New Research by Prof. Alemanno Underlines Great Divide between E.U. and its Citizens (with a BREAKTHROUGHS podcast); Lobbying for Change: Find Your Voice to Create a Better Society (with a filmed interview).
Part of the Good Lobby project is the Good Lobby Profs, an initiative gathering 60+ academics that constantly monitors the respect of the rule of law by holding the EU and national institutions and leaders accountable. It includes Arnaud Van Waeyenberge, Law Professor at HEC Paris.
