Lobbying and lobbying activities in Turkey

Communication is a must, natural and inevitable fact for people. We communicate because we want to enter into relations, know and understand the environment around us. Communication is a social need. Either in social life or in politics, education, culture, technology, it fulfils the duty of being a tool. It gives ideas, educates, acknowledges, motivates, controls, teaches, lessens concerns, and provides consensus. Lobbies, on the other hand, are kinds of pressure groups. Their purpose is only to influence the decision-making mechanisms in a way to realize legislative regulations for their interests. The works carried out by lobbies which are known to be formed by organized communities, like pressure groups, are named as lobby activities or lobbying. Lobbying is not only a general name for a series of activities peculiar to lobbies but also a method of pressure which is applied in reaching their determined goals (devoted to decision making) by pressure groups. Within the scope of lobby activities, it is desired to create positive relationship environments especially with the government officials who realize legislative regulations by using various methods and techniques. The most significant difference between the two acivities which uses similar methods and techniques arises in their target groups. The target group of public relations is interest groups, society, clients, fund and credit providers, competitors, regulators and controllers. In lobbying, on the other hand, a specific target group is determined. In this target, lawmakers who realize legislative regulations anda re of vital importance in decision-making forms the focal point of their activities. In target-aimed lobby activities, works devoted to other governmental functions which would affect the target in their decisions (executive and judiciary powers) are also being realized. As a result, lobbying is a public relationship activity which both benefits from the methods and techniques of public relations and possesses a number of its own methods and techniques.The fields of activity for lobbying is very diverse. Defending a country's interests in the presence of other countries and international organizations and constituting legislative regulations are the main scope which lobby activities directs.