Question

What steps should be taken to address Interest Groups' concerns? (Health Policy)

Answer 1

An interest group is made up of a number of people who have a common view in regards to a specific topic that is going to be regulated through public policy and, as a consequence, the members of the group work together to see their view reflected in the policy.

The most basic role of interest groups is to influence policy. The representatives of an interest group accomplish this by means of lobbying. Lobbying involves talking to people in powerful positions to achieve a goal. Often, interest groups find resistance from the public because they are seen as the guys who work behind the scenes to influence legislators. This concept of influencing legislators can often give the appearance that interest groups just have a lot of money, powerful connections, and an economic interest in influencing policy.The following are the steps that should be taken to address the interest groups concerns and their regulation in health policies.

Lobbying regulation

Mandatory lobbying registries are fundamental to ensure interest group activities are more transparent and accountable. Ideally, registration systems should allow for public disclosure of lobbyists’ names, their clients, issue areas, targets, techniques, as well as financial information. Effective implementation will also require robust mechanisms of oversight and enforcement.

Conflict of interest

Conflict of interest can be defined as a “situation where and individual or the entity for which they work, whether a government, business, media outlet or civil society organisation, is confronted with choosing between the duties and demands of their position and their own private interests.

Preventing conflict of interest is very important for enhancing transparency and accountability in public decision making. Regulations may take a number of forms, including laws, codes of conduct and internal rules or management guidelines. They should also cover post-public employment and establish mandatory ‘cooling-off’ period to avoid the revolving door, as enterprises and their consultants often use former public officials for lobbying purposes. Three main types of conflict of interest regulation can be identified: prohibitions on activities, declarations of interests, and exclusion from decision-making processes.

Asset declaration

Asset declaration regimes have been introduced in many countries as a way to enhance transparency and integrity as well as the trust of citizens in public administration. They aim at preventing conflicts of interest among public officials and members of the government and avoiding illicit enrichment or other illegal activities by monitoring wealth variations of individual politicians and civil servants.

Transparency in decision making processes and access to information

Interest group influence may also depend on the salience of an issue – ‘the more attention the public pays to a specific decision; the more difficult it should be for a special interest group to influence the outcome. In this context, governments should encourage citizens’ participation, facilitating (or making mandatory) open hearings on policies and consultative decision-making processes. Other measures which may enhance transparency and accountability in policy-making, and help to identify any suspicious relationship between special interest group and politicians include: freedom of information legislation to allow access to government documents related to the policy-making process; E-government mechanisms to encourage consultations and public comment on draft laws and regulations; and public disclosure of Parliamentary votes, among others.

Media and CSOs

Civil society and media organisations should monitor corporate political engagement , for instance by tracking lobbying activity or campaign finance (e.g. the US Open Secrets, Center for Responsive Politics, which is a research group tracking money in US politics and its effect on elections and public policy). Civil society may also help holding politicians and other members of the government accountable by engaging in the policy process.