The dissertation is devoted to the study of lobbyism as an element of the political system in which it acts as a political institution and process. The work contains an analysis of foreign experience in the formation and functioning of lobbyism in North America and the European Union, explores its features in Ukraine and on this basis offers scientific and practical recommendations for its institutionalization.
The introduction of the dissertation establishes the relevance of the research topic, defines the purpose and objectives, scientific novelty and practical significance of the results, provides the information about its testing. The scientific novelty of the dissertation research is due to a set of research tasks. The work is aimed at substantiating the possibility of using foreign experience of the institution of lobbyism in the political system of Ukraine and identifying the peculiarities of the law-making process for its implementation. In the course of research based on a comprehensive analysis of the experience of formation and development of foreign lobbyism within the framework of new concepts of its research, the degree of its implementation in the realities of Ukrainian political life is determined, recommendations are formulated, the implementation of which will allow more effective use of lobbyism in Ukraine. Theoretical principles of lobbyism research have been improved, the author's system of its typology is offered. Conceptual and categorical apparatus of lobbyism research on the basis of the analysis of the newest conceptual approaches to this phenomenon have been improved. The practical significance of the obtained results lies in the possibility of their further use for educational, scientific and applied purposes. The dissertation research creates a basis for further analysis of lobbyism, problems of institutionalization of lobbyism, the process of its transformation as a political institution, its role as a tool to reduce corruption risks and more. Research of foreign experience in the formation, regulation and trends of lobbyism, as well as the study of modern conditions and features of lobbying in Ukraine, allowed to identify the following recommended steps in the formation of the Ukrainian lobbyism: 1) conducting educational activities aimed at clarifying the essence of this concept, its importance in the process of combating corruption and increasing the transparency of the political process with the involvement of non-governmental organizations in various fields; 2) the adoption of the law on the example of the American model is seen as a necessary condition for its institutionalization; it is expedient to introduce into Ukrainian legislation such borrowings from the American model as registration and reporting of the lobbyists, which provides stricter and more transparent control over lobbying contacts, allows to prevent deviations from the law; 3) strengthening public control over lobbying may allow borrowing from the continental model of the tools to control officials, in particular the creation of codes of conduct for officials and lobbyists; 4) the way out of the Ukrainian lobbying "out of the shadows" will be facilitated by work with potential lobbyists, expansion of the sector for the provision of professional lobbying services, the separation of which is already observed in Ukraine; conducting trainings and seminars on the latest leading methods of lobbying with the involvement of experienced lecturers, training of qualified GR-specialists in higher education institutions in the long-term perspective will help to increase its transparency; 5) institutionalization of lobbying, increasing the effectiveness of its transparent methods also requires the parallel implementation and enforcement of comprehensive anti-corruption legislation.
