The need to regulate de lobbying activities in Spain: The path towards the standardization of transparency

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.12795/IROCAMM.2023.v06.i02.01

Keywords:

Lobbying, Public Affairs, interest groups, public relations, transparency, influence

Abstract

Lobbying is the name given to the adoption of actions by interest groups to influence public agents’ political decisions. This practice is a field of public relations, as it requires establishing a dialogue with the representatives of the institutions. Traditionally, it has been associated with opacity, against which the fight had started in Spain with the recent draft of the Law on Transparency of Interest Groups, which has been paralyzed due to general elections being called in advance for July 2023. Although the regulatory shortcomings make lobbying a difficult object of study, the following aspects have been pointed out as factors that contribute to the capacity of influence of an interest group: its number of members; its age; its economic capacity; the type of interests it defends, and its degree of specialization. We must also highlight the participation in public committees, the number of employees, and the practice of indirect lobbying. The standardization of the transparency efforts of Spanish lobbies, including their self-regulation, will be vital to accept them as legitimate participants in the public sphere. At the same time, they would also benefit from having representatives in Brussels and specialized internal structures.

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Author Biographies

Alfredo Arceo Vacas, Complutense University of Madrid

Alfredo Arceo Vacas is full-time lecturer in the Faculty of Information Sciences of the Complutense University of Madrid. He holds a degree in Journalism. In addition, he is Doctor in Information Sciences and hold a Master's Degree in Corporate Communication and Advertising from the same university. Nowadays, he is the director of this master's degree. Previously, he was the director of the Master's Degree in Communication of Organizations, throughout the 2016-17 academic year. Dr. Arceo has taken part and led a great amount of research project focused on Political, Institutional and Business Communication. Among the books that he has edited, "The spokesperon in the communication of organizations. Theoretical and practical principles" must be highlighted (published by the Service of Publicactions of the Alicante University).

Sergio Álvarez Sánchez, Complutense University of Madrid

Sergio Álvarez is part-time professor in the Department of Theories and Analyses of Communication in the Complutense University of Madrid. He teaches the subjects "Training of Spokepersons" and "Psychology of Communication". Equally, he co-ordinates de Master's Degree in Corporate Communication and Advertising. Between 2017 and 2019, he was a predoctoral research trainee in the same department (through a Santander-Complutense grant -call CT27/16-CT28/16-); afterwards, he worked as a posdoctoral researcher between 2019 and 2021. He holds a degree in Advertising and Public Relations; the Master's Degree in Communication of the Organizations, and is Doctor in Audiovisual Communication, Advertising and Public Relations, all these titles also from the Complutense University. Dr. Álvarez has particularly done research basing on the framing theory, as in his doctoral thesis: "The communication strategies of the political actors when facing social conflict: an analysis of their frames of reference for the 2013 labour reform".

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Published

07/31/2023

How to Cite

Arceo Vacas, A., & Álvarez Sánchez, S. (2023). The need to regulate de lobbying activities in Spain: The path towards the standardization of transparency. IROCAMM - International Review Of Communication And Marketing Mix, 6(2), 9–22. https://doi.org/10.12795/IROCAMM.2023.v06.i02.01

Issue

Vol. 6 No. 2 (2023): Management of institutional communication, public relations, ceremonial and protocol

Section

Monographics

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