Belousov Alexander
The article observes lobbying practices in the USA and presentsthe analysis of official data of the financing of lobbying: the amount of lobbying spending, the amount of the largest lobbying clients spending, and the incomes of the highly paid lobbyists. Brief history of lobbying is presented. Itshows that the bribing of lawmakers was a common practice before regulation of lobbying was introduced, and describes the tendency of complicating of lobbying practices in the second half of the 20th century. The article pays particular attention to the corporate lobbying. Quantitative analysis of the data proves the rise of corporate lobbying in the United States in last 30 years. Another observed trend is the link between the rise of parliamentary hearings and the growth of representation campaigns in particular sectors of US economy. The basic strategy of corporate lobbying is so-called ‘member-to-member’ lobbying. The article considers the phenomenon of ‘revolving door’(when former congressional representatives and bureaucrats are hired by lobbyist firms) as part of corporate lobbying. The methods of ‘grassroots lobbying’ and ‘astroturf’ are also regarded. The article contains comparative analysis of lobbying in the US and EU.
Keywords: lobbying, USA, member-to-member lobbying, grassroots lobbying, astroturf, revolving door.