Suchergebnisse

The aim of this article introduces the establishment of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the Czech Republic. They belong to interest groups, are interested in generally beneficial is- sues, are not directly part of the structure of government and act independently of it. The West European countries have begun to recognize the positive role and impact of NGOs over the course of the 90s. The result has been a shift from the concept of "government" to the concept of "governance". The tool for governance is a civic dialogue, which develops participative democracy, i.e. the possibility to express and participate in the decision-making process during the election period. Economists describe the civil sector as the environment responsible for expanding the wealth of a society. Non-governmental non-profit organizations add a new perspective and guide the reactions of both local needs and problems as well as issues of a global character at the turn of the 21st century. A rigid centralized system in the post communist countries has been largely replaced by a bureaucracy lacking both experience and finances to create a truly democratic alter- native. The main problems of these countries is a deficit of rules of communication with the interest groups (NGOs included), limited power (capacity) of state institutions and no clear lines between state activities and civil society. although almost 20 years have passed since the fall of the totalita- rian state in the Czech Republic, the rebirth of civil society has been and continues to be, a painful and long-term process. Non-profit organizations have been declared by public administration as partners and colleagues, but in practice this is still not an equal relationship. What is missing here is a clear vision supported by social consensus regarding the role of the state in Czech society, or what function the state should perform.

Lobbying is a legitimate way of interest representation in democracy. Although the number of countries introducing rules on lobbying activity is increasing, there are many doubts about the efficiency of measures introduced in terms of nontransparent lobbying activities and unfair forms of influence. The paper investigates the main approaches, elements and measures recommended and implemented by countries and international organizations in order to increase the transparency of lobbying practice in the decision-making process and proposes a basic set (catalogue) of key measures. It argues that a complex approach combining lobbying rules and many other supportive and linked measures is needed in order to extend transparent lobbying and decision-making. The article contributes to the discussion on the main theoretical issues and problems that arise in terms of transparent lobbying and proposes a catalogue of basic measures necessary to evaluate the transparency of lobbying in a broader and more detailed way in future research. ; Lobizmas yra teisėtas interesų atstovavimo būdas demokratijoje. Nors vis daugiau šalių reglamentuoja lobistinę veiklą, išlieka daug abejonių dėl įtvirtintų neskaidrios lobistinės veiklos priemonių ir nesąžiningos įtakos formų efektyvumo. Straipsnyje nagrinėjami pagrindiniai rekomenduojami bei šalių ir tarptautinių organizacijų įgyvendinti metodai, elementai ir priemonės, siekiant padidinti lobistinės praktikos sprendimo priėmimo procese skaidrumą ir siūlomas bazinis svarbiausių priemonių komplektas (katalogas). Straipsnyje teigiama, kad reikalingas kompleksinis metodas, apimantis lobizmo reglamentavimą ir daugybę kitų palaikomųjų ir susijusių priemonių, siekiant padidinti lobizmo ir sprendimų priėmimo skaidrumą. Straipsnis suskirstytas į tris dalis. Pirmajame skyriuje aptariamas pasirinktų klausimų ir problemų, reikšmingų ir (arba) susijusių su skaidriu lobizmu, teorinis pagrindas. Antroje dalyje nagrinėjamos įstatymuose įtvirtintos priemonės, įvairūs dokumentai, rekomendacijos ir ataskaitos. Paskutiniame skyriuje siūlomas autoriaus sukurtų bazinių priemonių katalogas, kuris leidžia plačiau ir išsamiau įvertinti lobizmo skaidrumą.

Lobbying transparency seems to have been a challenging topic for nearly a decade. For the purposes of the article, the authors focus on a contextual analysis of rules and measures that offers both a broad as well as comprehensive view of the required transparency of lobbying activities and the environment in which decisions are made. In this regard, focusing on the sunshine principles/sunshine rules (not purely limited to laws) provides a grasp of the whole issue in a broader context. From a methodological point of view, the exploratory approach was chosen and the coding procedure is mostly dichotomous. As a result, seven key areas with 70 indicators have been identified in terms of transparency of lobbying and decision-making.

The competitive strength of individual countries is not only affected by their economic efficiency and productiveness, there is also a broad range of other socio-economic and political factors that includes institutional quality. Crucial factors influencing institutional quality are transparency and the scope of civil and economic liberties. It should be easy to scrutinize how decisions are made, the influences behind them and how taxpayer's money is allocated. On the other side the plurality of interests is a necessary prerequisite and starting point for a free and open society. The lobbying and consultancy industry is a natural, important and legitimate part of the democratic decision-making process, however sometimes lobbying practices go beyond the legitimate representation of interests, and methods are deceptive. This kind of behavior is usually non-transparent and unfairly influences political processes, generating the potential for corrupt practices and excessive regulation of economic activities negatively influencing economic freedom and thus the competitiveness. The aim of the article is to prove the significant effect between economic freedom and competitiveness within the European Union countries based on an analysis of two indexes – the Economic Freedom Index and the Global Competitiveness Index. A direct and fairly strong dependence was proved.

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1 Introduction -- 2 Democracy and lobbying -- 3 Transparency in democratic decision making -- 4 Methodology of research on lobbying regulation -- 5 A theoretical model of lobbying -- 6 Past and present practice of lobbying and its regulation -- 7 Transparent lobbying in Central and Eastern European Countries -- 8 Open Government and its impact on the lobbying environment in CEE countries -- 9 Conclusion.