This Anti-Corruption Helpdesk brief was produced in response to a query from one of Transparency International’s national chapters. The Anti-Corruption Helpdesk is operated by Transparency International and funded by the European Union.
Query
What are international experiences with the introduction of a “legislative footprint”?
CONTENT
1. Legislative footprint and its adoption
2. Examples of similar tools
3. References
SUMMARY
A legislative footprint is a document that details the time, person and subject of a legislator’s contact with a stakeholder. Published as an annex to legislative reports, it could potentially provide insight into who gave input into draft legislation. It helps to ensure that interest groups’ influence on policy-making is not disproportionate, which could, otherwise, lead to undue influence and state capture. Legislative footprints still play only a small role in the discussion about lobbying and transparency, and they are not obligatory in any of the countries examined. Their implementation is under discussion in the European Parliament and voluntary footprints can already be found there. Similar tools have been implemented in some countries, such as general publication of meetings, schedules and lobby registers. However, they still fall short in providing detailed information on who sought to influence legislation, what piece of legislation was targeted and by which channels influence was sought.
Authors
Maíra Martini, Transparency International, [email protected]Reviewers
Marie Chêne, Transparency International; Robin Hodess, PhD, Transparency InternationalDate
01/02/2013
