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lobbyism

lobbyism

8.1
Organized efforts to influence government officials for a group's benefit
  • noun
  • /ˈlɑːbiˌɪzəm/
translation icon : cabildeo
  • Many people believe that lobbyism undermines democracy by allowing special interest groups to influence lawmakers.

Examples

  • The company's lobbyism efforts resulted in new legislation that favored their industry.

  • Activists criticized the lobbyism of large corporations for leading to policies that hurt the environment.

  • There is no hope for a gentle solution to stop the building of a class war in a country that has managed to give a label of respectability to corruption by calling it "lobbyism." This has opened the gates of hell for a long time, so folks, be ready. The solution might well start with an insurrection, since lobbyism has already killed democracy, and its political mechanisms are jammed.

    Blog text (9)
  • There is no hope for a gentle solution to stop the building of a class war in a country that has managed to give a label of respectability to corruption by calling it "lobbyism." This has opened the gates of hell for a long time, so folks, be ready. The solution might well start with an insurrection, since lobbyism has already killed democracy, and its political mechanisms are jammed.

    Blog text (9)

How Organized

lobbyism
8.1
advocacy
145 4.4

Surface Forms

lobbyism singular
lobbyisms plural

Morphology

lobbyism = lobby (transparent) = lobby + ism

Formed productively from 'lobby' + the suffix '-ism' to denote the practice or system of lobbying, which learners can infer from 'lobby'.

Etymology

The word lobbyism comes from lobby, a 'hall' or entrance where people once waited to meet politicians, and -ism, a part that means a 'practice' or 'system'. So think of groups meeting in a lobby to persuade officials, and you get lobbyism: the organized practice of trying to influence decisions.