CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2011
| Author | Kuzmova, Jana |
|---|---|
| Title | Perception of Political Lobbying in Slovakia as a Controversial Issue: Contrast Between the Public, Lobbyists, and Public Officials. The Roots, Implications for Present, and Challenges for Future |
| Summary | ABSTRACT The thesis concentrates on the problem of political lobbying in Slovakia being perceived with considerable suspicion and mistrust, especially in the case of business lobbying agencies which are publicly believed to be corruptive. The main aim of the thesis is, first, to compare and to analyze the perceptions of four key actors participating in political lobbying in Slovakia – the general public, business lobbying groups, non-governmental advocacy lobbying groups, and public officials. Second, the thesis attempts to discuss historical and sociological context of the conflict of perceptions supplemented with the explanation of the factors currently shaping public opinion. The following research approaches are employed: the method of field research in Bratislava, Slovakia, and the method of focus groups run by means of interviews and anonymous questionnaire. The results indicate that the general public in Slovakia perceives political lobbying negatively, especially in the case of business lobbying groups who, by contrast, distance themselves from corruptive conduct. The key actors’ viewpoints differ with their professional experience at the same time as they meet in the number of points, e.g. that lobbying is by its nature ethical. The Communist era, low public participation and little knowledge on policy issues as well as corruption, low transparency and excercisability of law have a strong negative impact on the lobbying perceptions. Keywords: Political lobbying. Negative perception. Mistrust. Public opinion. Public participation. General public. Business lobbying groups. Advocacy lobbying groups. Public officials. Communism. Corruption. Transparency. |
| Supervisor | Fischer, Alex |
| Department | Public Policy MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2011/kuzmova_jana.pdf |
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