The term ‘lobbyist’ derives from ‘lobby’, in the sense of areas adjacent to a legislative assembly where it is easy to meet members of the legislature. A lobbyist is one who is professionally employed to lobby on behalf of clients or who advises clients on how to lobby on their own behalf. Lobbying refers to attempts to exert influence on the formation or implementation of public policy. Lobbying as an activity is carried out by a variety of actors ranging from interest groups through the government relations divisions of large firms to foreign embassies. Those lobbyists functioning as professional intermediaries, such as political consulting firms or lawyers specializing in offering political advice, are sometimes referred to as contract lobbyists as distinct from ‘in house’ lobbyists employed by firms or interest groups. Lobbyists are to be found in large numbers in the United States, particularly concentrating their activities on the Congress. This older type of lobbying which depends on mobilizing networks of influence with legislators has been supplanted by a newer form of lobbying in which political campaign firms package issues, mobilize voters, and raise campaign funds.
Political action committees (PACs) set up by corporations, unions, and other organizations to act as conduits for funds to candidates who favour particular policy positions, have grown considerably in numbers and expenditure in the United States. Although it is on a much smaller scale than in the United States, professional lobbying has also expanded in Britain. This has led to concern about standards of lobbying, the possibility of the improper exercise of influence, and the question of some form of registration and code of practice for lobbyists. This concern has been reflected at the European Union level, where there has been a rapid expansion in professional lobbying activity, leading to an investigation by the European Parliament into the need for a code of conduct. The 1946 Regulation of Lobbying Act in the United States requires lobbyists to file reports identifying themselves, their clients, and individuals lobbied, as well as detailing contributions received and expenditures made. The force of the Act was considerably narrowed by the 1954 Supreme Court decision in United States v. Harris which narrowed its reach to direct contacts with a member of Congress by individuals or organizations whose principal purpose is lobbying. The Act is seen as unenforceable and having little practical effect, although lobbyists have been successfully prosecuted for bribery and corruption. Registers of lobbyists can be used by lobbyists as a marketing device to emphasize that their activities are officially endorsed. Canada introduced a register 1989 which is intended to identify each lobbying task. Lobbyists are divided into two groups, professional lobbyists, and employees lobbying on behalf of an employer. Professional lobbyists in Canada consider that by making their activities more transparent, the register has reduced levels of suspicion about their activities. The development of professional lobbyists may be seen as part of a more general professionalization of politics in which, for example, being a politician is seen as a lifetime career, with perhaps a period in the legislature being followed by work as a professional lobbyist.
— Wyn Grant
