Responsible Lobbying: Conceptual Foundations and Empirical Findings in the EU

This study investigates the awareness and practice of responsible lobbying in the EU and analyzes benefits and antecedents. A multidimensional model of responsible lobbying is developed which provides normative guidelines and allows for determining the degree of responsible lobbying in practice. The empirical part analyzes responsible lobbying in the EU by combining a quantitative analysis based on a survey among 142 lobbyists with a qualitative examination based on interviews. The analysis reveals that criteria of responsible lobbying are fulfilled to a large extent according to the lobbyists. This study comes at a time when researchers and practitioners increasingly recognize the need to establish responsible lobbying by aligning Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and lobbying.