Lobbying: The Art of Political Persuasion

by Lionel Zetter

Lobbying is a global industry which thrives wherever democratic governments are established. This book straddles the globe, from the USA to Japan. It covers the Westminster and Scottish Parliaments, and the Welsh, Northern Ireland and London Assemblies. It examines the lobbying scenes in the USA and Brussels. Finally, the book also deals with Asia, and touches on the Middle East. This book examines and explains all aspects of lobbying in an expert yet accessible manner. Areas covered - The historical background to lobbying, and the ethical and regulatory frameworks - The mechanics of lobbying, and the techniques employed by lobbyists around the world - The various types of lobbying and public affairs campaigns - Advice on how to break into lobbying - The procedure for appointing a public affairs consultancy - How to use third party advocates in support of a campaign The author is an acknowledged expert in his field, and this book represents a distillation of his decades of experience. There are also 'top tips' from some of the most senior lobbyists in the world, as well as contributions from elected politicians.

Genres: Politics

454 pages, Hardcover

First published October 24, 2008

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book for journalists looking to understand the mechanics of lobbying in government. It's surprising how canny Zetter is when he talks about his job, but its very useful that he's so unguarded. The book is a bit outdated now because it was written a decade ago when blogs were all the rage and YouTube only gets a single mention. Social media doesn't even get a look-in.

Revealing book but needs an update in the electronic age.

[Clancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even with the readings listed by my lobbying-focused post-grad course, it has been difficult finding anything that actually explicitly outlines how to do it. Despite being somewhat dated in its specifics about the digital realm, everything here is still completely relevant and applicable to 2020.

Extremely UK and EU focused, with a large section on the US, the later sections of the book, many other jurisdictions are explored and explained in reasonable detail.

The first section of this book is invaluable to anyone that wants to know how to engage in political lobbying.