Binderkrantz, A.S., Bitonti, A. (2021). Lobbying. In: Harris, P., Bitonti, A., Fleisher, C.S., Skorkjær Binderkrantz, A. (eds) The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Interest Groups, Lobbying and Public Affairs . Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-13895-0_115-1

Lobbying is an activity or a set of activities aimed at influencing the political decisions made by policymakers. The word is the verbalization of the term “lobby,” intended as the lobby (antechamber) of the parliamentary chambers, and by extension of the chambers of those having public decisional power. Both the concepts of influence and power can be interpreted (and operationalized) in manifold ways, but we can generally remark how lobbying is as ancient as political power itself, even if its fullest forms thrive only within modern liberal democratic systems.