Lobbying is a natural part of the democratic process. By sharing expertise, legitimate needs and evidence about policy problems and how to address them, different interest groups can provide governments with valuable insights and data on which to base public policies. Information from a variety of interests and stakeholders helps policy makers understand options and trade-offs, and can lead, ultimately, to better policies. Nevertheless, sometimes public policies may be influenced only by specific interest groups or through covert and deceptive evidence, resulting in sub-optimal outcomes and undermining citizens’ trust in democratic processes.

Adherents: This refers to OECD Members and non-Members that have agreed to adhere to an OECD Recommendation. The expectation is that Adherents will do their utmost to implement a Recommendation fully. In this report, the term Adherents refers to all OECD Members and to Peru, with respect to the OECD Recommendation on Principles for Transparency and Integrity in Lobbying.

Lobbying can have a profound impact on the outcome of public policies and, in turn, on well-being and living standards in societies. By sharing expertise, legitimate needs and evidence, interest groups can provide governments with valuable insights and data on which to base public policies. This can help policy makers understand options and trade-offs, and can lead, ultimately, to better policies. Lobbying to strengthen environmental standards, improve road safety or increase childcare services, for example, can benefit society as a whole. Nonetheless, the abuse of lobbying practices – such as the monopoly of influence by special interest groups, undue influence through covert or deceptive evidence, or the manipulation of public opinion – can result in suboptimal policies and outcomes. An analysis of 300 academic studies showed that such abuse has led, for example, to negative health outcomes, inaction on climate policies, excessive regulation to protect incumbents, or insufficient regulation to correct market failures or distortions. In addition, the abuse of lobbying practices undermines citizens’ trust in democratic processes.

This chapter outlines the current context in which implementation of the Recommendation on Principles for Transparency and Integrity in Lobbying is being assessed. It highlights how an inclusive and transparent policy-making process, conducted with integrity, leads to better policies, and how undue influence and the monopoly of influence can block progress in all policy areas. The chapter also shows that lobbying is broader and more complex than the direct communication between a lobbyist and a public official. It describes how the importance of lobbying is still underestimated, and how the COVID-19 crisis revealed that risks of undue influence persist.

This chapter assesses the level of implementation in countries of the transparency principles of the Recommendation on Principles for Transparency and Integrity in Lobbying. The findings show that in a majority of countries, there is limited transparency on the targets of lobbying activities and on the actors conducting lobbying activities, and that the information disclosed is not enough to allow for public scrutiny. The chapter also shows that further light needs to be shed on all the different ways it is now possible to influence the policy-making process, and notes how compliance can be promoted through engagement with lobbyists and the use of digital tools. It also finds that audit and review of the rules and guidelines on lobbying is limited.

This chapter assesses the level of implementation in countries of the integrity principles of the Recommendation on Principles for Transparency and Integrity in Lobbying. It highlights the current challenges faced by governments to ensure that public officials interact with lobbyists with impartiality and in the public interest. The findings show that public officials need an integrity framework adapted to the specific risks of lobbying and other influence activities. The chapter also examines how lobbyists and companies have complied with their obligation to influence the public decision-making process with integrity and identifies the need for a more comprehensive, clearer integrity framework to guide their interactions with public officials.

This chapter assesses the level of implementation of the requirements on access for all stakeholders in the policy-making process, as provided for in the Principles embedded in the Recommendation. It finds that stakeholder participation in the policy-making process has increased overall, but that more meaningful engagement, greater transparency and better communication are needed to ensure that citizens and businesses feel included in the policy-making process. The chapter also shows that further consideration should be given to stakeholders’ capacity if they are to effectively inform the policy-making process.

This chapter draws the main conclusions of the monitoring exercise and suggests key actions to strengthen the transparency and integrity of the policy-making process. It also proposes a way forward to reinforce the relevance and adequacy of the OECD Recommendation on Principles for Transparency and Integrity in Lobbying.