This is a guidebook to understanding the laws, regulations, and practices concerning political activity in the major industrial democracies of the world.In today?s world of international investment and enterprise, an ever-expanding number of law firms, lobbying groups, management consultancies, manufacturers, and investment banks constantly engage and interact with foreign political systems. Scandals including the Enron meltdown, the CDU/CSU funding imbroglio, and party-political corruption flare-ups in the Pacific Rim have brought greater scrutiny and regulation to the arena of lobbying, campaign finance, and government relations. The United States has, therefore, been stringently enforcing its Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, exposing corporations, particularly American corporation, to heightened risk. As a result, understanding the legislation in the national jurisdiction in which one conducts business is more important than ever."Lobbying, Government Relations, and Campaign Finance Worldwide" is the first-ever comprehensive guide to address the laws, regulations, and practices of the thirty major industrial democracies comprising the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Each of the thirty chapters focuses on one country and is written by area experts including scholars, practitioners, and consultants. Chapter by chapter, these regional experts present the details under their respective national regimes that govern political activity by foreign businesses and investors.

A short introductory chapter notes the similarities and, most importantly, the differences among national regimes. The uniformity of presentation affords the user ease of reference, depth of coverage, and practical utility.A complete reference tool for: International trade and transactional sections of major law firms Lobbying groups and firms Management consulting firms Persons involved in lobbying, campaign finance, and government relations Legislative liaison officers and government relations directors of multinational corporations and commercial and investment banks In-house counsel of any corporation active outside its home jurisdiction Non-governmental organizations with international scope.