Woodstock Report | In Search of Lobbying Ethics

The recent lobbying corruption scandal in Washington has brought some new attention to a study titled The Ethics of Lobbying: Organized Interests, Political Power, and the Common Good, produced by the Woodstock Theological Center and published by Georgetown University Press in 2002.

Under the sub-heading, "Coming to God," an article in the Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call asked: "Is there still time for salvation in the influence industry's darkest hours? Some Jesuit deep-thinkers at Georgetown University hope so."

The item reported on Woodstock's lobbying study, explaining that the book was once again making the rounds on the Hill. And, while somewhat skeptical - the article spoke of Woodstock promoting "increasingly quaint . values such as respect for the common good" - it also quoted Woodstock director Gasper F. Lo Biondo as saying The Ethics of Lobbying was "inviting people to be thoughtful" about the current challenges.

Philip Lacovara, a lawyer who was part of the research team that prepared the study, has been extending the same invitation to others. He relates that one reporter who called him earlier this year wanted to know if all or most lobbyists are corrupt. "I assured him that most are honest, but that sometimes the line between acceptable behavior and improper conduct gets blurred - or at least is not perceived by the particular lobbyist. That is where the Woodstock analysis and principles come into play," Lacovara told the Woodstock Report.

He was referring to the "Woodstock Principles for the Ethical Conduct of Lobbying," a first-of-its-kind set of guidelines that were included in the 110-page book. In Lacovara's view, the first principle gets to the root of the lobbying problem: "The pursuit of lobbying must take into account the common good, not merely a particular client's interests narrowly considered."

In an op-ed column prepared for national distribution as the Woodstock Report went to press, Lacovara said this principle would require a fundamental shift in our concept of lobbying.

"Most basically, in deciding whether to undertake an engagement or assignment and in determining what arguments to advance in supporting or opposing a position, the lobbyist would weigh the implications of his efforts for the well-being of the country as a whole," he wrote. "The lobbyist also would feel obliged to inform both the client and the policy maker of the probable economic, social, and political consequences of the policy objectives being pursued.

"In addition, the lobbyist would recognize a duty to provide information and arguments surrounded with a greater degree of candor and balance than the present concept requires or produces."

Besides Lacovara, members of the Woodstock team included Edward B. Arroyo, S.J., who coordinated the four-year project that led to the book, philosopher Michael H. McCarthy, journalist Robert W. Gardner, and James L. Connor, S.J., theologian and immediate past director of Woodstock.

To order a copy of The Ethics of Lobbying, call 202-687-3532 or order online from Georgetown University Press.