DOMAINS OF LOBBYING IN THE U.S. – FROM THE ARMS INDUSTRY TO ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS
DOMAINS OF LOBBYING IN THE U.S. – FROM THE ARMS INDUSTRY TO ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS

Summary/Abstract: It is increasingly clear that many of the issues that affect citizens in democratic societies are not under the full control of national governments. A large part of the essential issues belongs to interest groups. It is enough to refer to the arms industry and exports, through climate change and fossil fuels to the Internet, to conclude that transnational regulation, international solutions and greater control are necessary. As the world became increasingly globalized, multinational corporations were obliged to transnational regulation in more countries. For example, Coca-Cola is headquartered in Atlanta, but it produces and sells all over the world. In some countries, taxes on carbonated drinks are different and therefore the company seeks to adapt its business activity through lobbying. However, compared to the arms industry or the polluters who are responsible for the excessive use of fossil fuels that threaten the environment, lobbying by interest groups reaches astronomical figures. Lobbying is also more prevalent in the area of arms sales, although the figures for legal arms sales (excluding arms trade) are difficult to estimate precisely. First, because contracts in this area are not always public. Second, because sales can combine equipment with military aid or training. Depending on the source, estimates can therefore vary greatly. It is an open secret that the main polluters in the United States spend ten times more on lobbying than green environmental groups. A disproportionate financial influence on US policy by lobby groups is aimed at playing down climate legislation. Such an evolution is not surprising when it comes to the United States, which has developed lobbying as an integral part of democracy, but also as a comprehensive scientific discipline. The purpose of this paper is first to analyze the history of the development of lobbying by interest groups in the United States, then to highlight the basic characteristics of this activity, which is often criticized as "suspicious" and "illegal" over which citizens have no control. The analysis of lobbying will indicate the main aggregates and specificities that are present in this domain, with special reference to lobbying in the domain of the arms industry and lobbying by the largest polluters in the United States. It seems that the basic problem for analysts who fight for the "transparency of lobbying" begins precisely with the question: "Where is lobbying?", "How do we find out who is lobbying and where?"

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