Public Affairs Links - What is Lobbying?

What is public affairs? What is lobbying?

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Public affairs, also known as lobbying or government affairs, is the process of making a concerted effort designed to achieve some political result, typically from government authorities in producing legislation. It may also apply to raising the profile of a particular cause, or getting the green light for a major project.

It can consist of the outreach of legislative members, public actions (e.g. mass demonstrations), or combinations of both public and private actions (e.g. encouraging constituents to contact their legislative representatives). Lobbying in Europe is quite different from in the US in that it has not been going on in a 'professional' form for nearly as long.

However, since the 1970s, the industry has expanded rapidly, to the point where estimates now put the revenues earned by lobbying in the UK alone at £1.9 billion ($4bn) per year, with consultancies and in-house teams employing over 14,000 people.

Estimates for the EU vary from 4,000 to as many as 15,000 professional lobbyists working in and around Brussels. In America, if all interest representatives from a state-level upwards are counted, numbers may be four or five times more than that.

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What is Public Affairs Links?

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Public Affairs Links was set up in 2007 to provide independent information on an industry which remains mysterious and shadowy to many.

Despite lobbying becoming an increasingly important part of everyday business, we thought that too many people remained suspicious of how useful and legitimate it was as a professional activity.

Our aim when we set out was widen public awareness of what goes on in lobbying, as well as to provide an invaluable resource for those looking to find out more about the sector. We have since helped graduates and experienced professionals to find jobs in public affairs, guided businesses to consultancies and helped educate thousands about the lobbying industry across the world.

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