Scandals: Money and Access in UK
Westminster UK

by Conor McGrath “Throughout its history, lobbying in the UK has suffered from reputational (mis)perceptions, and failed to achieve widespread public legitimacy and understanding. Most lobbying scandals relate either to financial relationships between interest groups and politicians or to the personal access to politicians enjoyed by individual lobbyists. During the nineteenth century, for instance, it […]

Read more
Slovenia: parliamentarism with a neo-corporatist flavour
Parliament Slovenia

by Danica Fink-Hafner “The institutional opportunity structure for lobbying in Slovenia is not only determined by parliamentary  constitutional choice and a proportional electoral system […], but also some institutional veto points. Among the most critical institutionally determined veto points are the National Council’s suspending veto which can order the National Assembly to revote on a […]

Read more
Public Affairs and Lobbying in Portugal
Portugal Parliament

by Joaquim Martins Lampreia “In terms of legal frameworks, there are no specific rules or registers concerning pressure groups or their activities. The same goes for individuals, being consultants or ex-politicians. So, who are the lobbyists in Portugal? At a first level, they are all people working for pressure groups: NGOs, corporate associations or Unions, […]

Read more