Interest groups and individuals try to influence legislation and regulation through direct communication with officials. That activity is lobbying. It includes providing information, drafting proposed language, building coalitions, and mobilizing constituency pressure.

Lobbyists may be employed in-house by corporations or associations, or they may work for hired firms. Registration and disclosure rules exist in many jurisdictions to make the activity visible. Effective lobbyists combine subject-matter expertise with knowledge of legislative procedure and personal relationships.

Critics argue that lobbying skews policy toward well-resourced interests. Defenders reply that it supplies legislators with information they would otherwise lack and that competing groups offset one another. The line between legitimate advocacy and improper influence is contested and policed by ethics rules and occasional prosecutions. Transparency remains the principal regulatory response.

• Direct effort to influence legislators and officials
• Conducted by groups and professional advocates
• Regulated by registration and disclosure
• Raises issues of unequal access and influence