“Lobbying of Interests” as a Business Practice

This paper provides a comprehensive study of the concept of lobbying of interests, covering both theoretical aspects and practical application of this term in the Russian judicial system. The study consists of two main stages: a comprehensive review of scientific literature on the topic of lobbying and a detailed analysis of court decisions of various instances of the Russian Federation, in which the term “lobbying” appears. The main goal of the study is to identify and compare interpretations of the concept of “lobbying” in scientific discourse and judicial practice. The authors seek to determine whether there are discrepancies between theoretical concepts and practical application of this term in the legal sphere. The review of scientific literature demonstrates duality in the understanding of lobbying. On the one hand, there is a positive interpretation, characterizing lobbying as an open, legal and informative process. On the other hand, there is a negative interpretation, associating lobbying with shadow, corrupt and illegal practices. The analysis of court decisions revealed a notable trend: in Russian judicial practice, the term “lobbying” is used exclusively in a negative context. This indicates a significant gap between the scientific understanding of lobbying and its perception in the legal system. Of particular interest is the expansion of the concept of lobbying in some court decisions discovered by the authors. In some cases, the term is applied not only to influencing government bodies, but also to attempts to influence decisions of commercial entities. This observation opens up new prospects for studying the evolution of the concept of lobbying as a business practice in the Russian legal field. This study makes a significant contribution to understanding the complexity and versatility of the concept of lobbying, emphasizing the need for further study of the discrepancies between theoretical approaches and the practical application of this concept in the legal sphere. The results of the work can serve as a basis for improving legislation in the field of regulating lobbying activities and increasing the transparency of decision-making processes in both the public and commercial sectors.