Revisiting the Main Ways of Lobbying Regulation as a Security Measure Against Corruption Lobbying

The article analyses the political and legal phenomenon of lobbying, and corruption lobbying as its most destructive and dangerous deviance along with the negative consequences of the latter. Nowadays, lobbying in Russia remains unregulated, which causes problems in drawing a line between acceptable and unacceptable lobbying, and in preventing unacceptable lobbying. In order to prevent unacceptable and corruption lobbying, the author hypothesized that a system of permissive and prohibitive measures, with the focus on permissive measures, should be used. He proposes to define legislatively the concept “lobbying”, to regulate acceptable and unacceptable methods of lobbying, to control the status of some persons, whose powers may be used in bad faith in lobbying. The author identifies the attributes of lobbying, and on the basis of these attributes formulates the concept “lobbying”, which means a social and legal phenomenon, in which a person or entity uses certain methods to make an attempt to influence central or local authorities with the purpose of promoting or blocking certain law-making decisions. The following methods of lobbying are proposed as acceptable: citizen petition; information distribution in all media; independent anticorruption examination of legal acts and draft laws; research; social research and presentation of its results in order to influence certain law-making decisions. The following methods of lobbying are proposed as unacceptable: commission of offences and indecent acts in order to influence certain lawmaking decisions; formation of expert councils under the committees of legislative bodies from representatives of one interest group. The author also examines possible corruption risks associated with the activities of former public officials and proposes to suspend these persons from lobbying. The author notes the absence of rules controlling the unpaid advisors to the chairs of committees of the State Duma of the RF Federal Assembly and the possibility of an unfair use of these unpaid advisors' powers in lobbying. The issue of an unfair use of the powers of the chairs of committees of the State Duma is also considered.

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