Lobbying: Business, Law and Public Policy, Why and How 12,000 People Spend $3+ Billion Impacting Our Government provides students, practitioners and engaged citizens with an understanding of this highly charged aspect of American democracy. Mention the words "lobbying" or "lobbyist" to a friend or colleague and you will likely get a strong response. Some people view lobbying as nothing more than the practice of buying influence, power and legislation. To others, lobbying plays a vital part in our policymaking process, enabling us to exercise one of our most treasured constitutional rights - the right to petition the government. In reality, both positions have merit and that is what makes lobbying such an interesting practice. Lobbying is a multibillion-dollar industry that impacts all aspects of public policy at the highest level of government. At the same time, it is also the avenue by which the average citizen meets with their government representatives to request action. Lobbying is inherently a multi-disciplinary topic. Effective lobbying requires understanding the political and policymaking process. It is also a function of human psychology and strategy consulting. Many lobbyists have a legal background, which enables them to draft and dissect legislation and make meaningful recommendations, but some are former politicians, businessmen and communications specialists. Lastly, lobbying requires business acumen, drawing on skills such as networking, consulting and public relations. While these disciplines can be looked at separately, lobbying requires the study of all of them together. The goal of this book is to take the mystery and hyperbole out of lobbying and explain the business, law and public policy aspects of the field. By the last page you will understand and appreciate (1) the history of lobbying from King Solomon to the present day; (2) the business of lobbying; (3) the laws, regulations and ethics that accompany lobbying; (4) the art and science of effective lobbying; and (5) the differences in lobbying worldwide. This book can be used for a stand-alone course on lobbying and advocacy or as a supplementary text for courses on government, policymaking, ethics and regulation. It is also a useful guide for citizens who want to impact public policy. Mark Fagan is Adjunct Lecturer in Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University and a founding partner of the strategy consulting firm Norbridge.

Providing readers with a detailed map for compliance with all applicable laws, this reference describes the dramatic changes brought about by the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995, and the considerable changes that have occurred since the last edition was published in 1998.

This ABA bestseller provides detailed guidance for compliance with the Lobbying Disclosure Act. It gives practical examples of how to be compliant, and covers all of the major federal statutes and regulations that govern the practice of federal lobbying. The book offers invaluable descriptions of the legislative and executive branch decision-making processes that lobbyists seek to influence, the constraints that apply to lobbyist participation in political campaigns, grassroots lobbying, ethics issues, and more.

Governments worldwide are developing sunshine policies that increase transparency in politics, where a key initiative is regulating lobbyists. Building on the pioneering first edition, this book updates its examination of all jurisdictions with regulations, from the Americas, Europe, Middle East, Asia, and Australia. Unlike any book, it offers unique insights into how the regulations compare and contrast against each other, offering a revamped theoretical classification of different regulatory environments and situating each political system therein. This edition innovatively considers different measurements to capture the robustness of lobbying laws in terms of promoting transparency and accountability. And, based on the authors’ experience of advising governments globally, it closes with a no-nonsense guide on how to make a lobbying law. This is of value to policymakers seeking to introduce or amend regulations, and lobbyists seeking to influence this process.

Inspiring students to take action! The Lobbying Strategy Handbook shows how students with passion for a cause can learn to successfully influence lawmaking in the United States. The centerpiece of this book is a 10-step framework that walks the reader through the essential elements of conducting a lobbying campaign. The framework is illustrated by three separate case studies that show how groups of people have successfully used the model. Undergraduate, graduate students, and anyone interested in making a difference, can use the book to guide them in creating and conducting a grassroots campaign from start to finish. Video: Lobbying Is NOT a 4-Letter Word Author Pat Libby, Professor of Practice and Director of the Institute for Nonprofit Education and Research, University of San Diego, discusses lobbying rules and strategy in her video presentation, Lobbying Is NOT a 4-Letter Word. Discover more about the author and the book here:

Gelak offers a comprehensive guide for lobbyists and Washington advocates that reveals top strategies for winning as an effective lobbyist or advocate, practical resources and methods for maintaining compliance, and extensive lists of resources.

"Lobbyists at Work is a must-read for anyone interested in the serious business of government. Leech's probing questions reflect her years of research tracking the real impact of money and influence on policy." —Thomas Hale Boggs, Jr. (Chairman, Patton Boggs LLP) Received wisdom has it that lobbyists run the American government on behalf of moneyed interests. But what makes lobbyists run, and how do they induce legislators and bureaucrats to do their bidding? These are questions for which even the harshest critics lack satisfying answers. Lobbyists at Work explores what lobbyists really do and why. It goes behind the scenes and brings back in-depth interviews with fifteen political advocates chosen to represent the breadth and diversity of the lobbying profession. The interviewees profiled in this book range from the top lobbyists-for-hire at the most powerful K Street firms to pro bono lobbyists for the disenfranchised and powerless. The roster spans all types of lobbyists working for all types of clients and seeking to influence all levels and branches of government. The permutations include business-lobbying-government, government-lobbying-government, government-to-business revolving door, regulatory lobbying, state and local lobbying, citizen-advocacy lobbying,single-issue lobbying, and multiple-issue lobbying. In colorful and sometimes hilarious detail, the interviewees take the reader through their arsenals of traditional and next-generation lobbying techniques, including face-to-face persuasion of elected officials and their staffs, educational campaigns and coalition-building, ghost-drafting complex legislation and regulation for government committees and agencies, contributions, and social media campaigns. In Lobbyists at Work, the normally self-effacing subjects open up about themselves and their profession: why they chose to become lobbyists, what motivates them to keep lobbying, how they cultivate their lobbying influence, how they adjust to changes in the rules affecting their lobbying methods, and what they actually do at work each day (and night). As an authority on lobbying respected in Washington for her impartiality, Professor Beth Leech elicits frank disclosures, career tips, and riveting stories about the good, the bad, and the ambivalent on both sides of the symbiotic relationship between government officials and lobbyists.