Vectors of Interaction Between Interest Groups and Public Authorities in Italy

The current article analyses the mechanism of interaction between interest groups and public decision makers in Italy. The author seeks to explore the main trends in the development of the interest groups system, its institutional environment, vectors of interaction with political parties and the executive branch. The author shows that lobbying in Italy is an integral part of the political process, but it has a number of features that distinguish the Italian model from that of other countries of Western Europe and North America. It can be explained by the specifics of the Italian political system, political culture, unstable party system, and constantly changing lobbying mechanism. Inter-elite, patronage ties dominate in the interaction between interest groups and the government. Equal access to decision makers is one of the key problems of the Italian lobbying mechanism. Lack of transparency and informal communication channels continue to be an unresolved problem that does not allow the political system to efficiently process the plurality of existing group interests. Despite numerous discussions and bills, Italy has not yet moved on to creating a unified regulatory regime that would clearly define the rules of interaction between interest groups and decision makers. Although separate norms have been implemented in six Italian regions, the parliament and two ministries, they are not harmonized with each other. In particular, business groups (most influential lobbyists) do not fall under regional regulation, while many rules at the national level, which should in theory facilitate the access to decision makers, are offset by the lack of transparency in the real life lobbying. The solution to the problem of unequal access lies not only within a unified set of norms and rules aimed at regulating lobbying (although this should be a necessary first step), but in a general increase of transparency in the decision-making process, creation of clearer codes of conduct for politicians, regulation of “revolving doors”, and reduction of conflicts of interest.

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