Fel'dman P.Ya. On the issue of lobbying as a conflictogene

Abstract: The main aim of the author of this article is to identify and study potential conflicts that can occur in the process of lobbying. To achieve this purpose, the author sets multiple goals: to explain the necessity of using the communicative approach to study the phenomenon of lobbying; to identify the main structural elements of lobbying communication and to estimate their conflict potential; to assess the probability of conflicts in the process of lobbying. The article notes that conflicts in lobbying communication are almost inevitable, due to the fact that public resources and the benefits are finite, and they are contested by competing actors. Through structural and functional analysis of lobbying communication the author identifies the basic types of conflicts that occur at different stages of the flow of information from its source to its destination. The methodological base of research involves the system, structural-functional, comparative and political approaches, methods of the analysis, synthesis, supervision, modeling. The author concludes that conflicts in lobbying are determined by relationships between competing entities (interest groups); by the level of openness and accessibility of public institutions; by lobbying techniques used to influence the authorities; by the degree of transparency of lobbying communications and by fairness of political and administrative decisions.

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