Lobbyists

Individuals representing special interests of certain groups have devised various ways of advocating for these special interests. Lobbying in government is through direct lobbying which involves talking to lawmakers and officials in the executive arm of the government mainly through supply of proposal bills. Examples of application of direct lobbying are hallway conversations, office presentations and in some instances presentations before committees. Lobbyists will sometimes assist politicians in drafting legislations and in some cases this leads to prejudice of the general public’s interest to the advantage of the lobbyist group.

As much as good lobbying is important for members of congress to clearly understand the consequences of legislations, it is of concern that lobbyists groups are becoming stronger by the day. This is witnessed by lobbyists groups funding political campaigns so as to gain influence. It is also important to note that many lobbyists have access to policy makers since most of them are former civil servants. This has led to the government doing business with organizations that are run by former officials, leading to critics terming this as a revolving door between the private and public domains. In an attempt to reduce the influence of lobbyists and the consequential hindrance of government system, congress now limits the activities that executive officials and other civil servants can engage in after leaving office.

Other lobbying techniques include indirect lobbying which involves enlisting the assistance of the community in influencing the lawmakers and executive officials. Indirect lobbying is sometimes referred to as grassroots lobbying.

In most cases, the bargaining power of labor unions is small. This is mainly because government policies on labor unions are in most cases drafted with the broad perspective of the impact of these policies to both the political and the social sectors. Most labor unions are not able to negotiate with employers who depend on the mediation of the public sector. Thus labor unions do not affect the competition of local industries with the rest of the world.

Labor unions will in some cases become monopolists by promoting the interest of members through improvement of member wages and working conditions without much consideration for the nonunionized workers. However, labor unions play a crucial role in representation of the worker’s interests.