Abstract

How can we define lobbying? What is a lobby? Is an interest group different from a pressure group? And how can we categorize different types of groups? Who can be technically labeled as a lobbyist? By adopting the perspective of political science, the article tries to answer all these questions, providing the fundamental definitions of the concepts involved in the practice, the study, and the regulation of lobbying, also untangling some theoretical problems that often lead to various misunderstandings in the public discourse on lobbying, and that are usually behind ineffective or “flawedµ attempts of regulation of lobbying activities