31 Jan 2025 Blog Toni Pakarinen, Senior advisor

First study on the effects of the Transparency Register on lobbying activities has been published

The Transparency Register makes lobbying more systematic. In his research, Toni Pakarinen sheds light on how this change is reflected in companies’ public affairs management.

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At the beginning of 2024, Finland introduced the Transparency Register, which requires organizations to report their lobbying activities in a public register. The register aims to increase transparency regarding entities that influence political decision-making. But how has this new regulation affected lobbying activities in practice?

I investigated what changes have occurred in the management of lobbying activities of large Finnish companies following the implementation of the Transparency Register. The research was based on interviews with public affairs managers of large Finnish companies. The study examined changes in managers’ own work, management practices, resource allocation, and communications.

The study found that public affairs managers’ responsibilities have expanded further to include new responsibilities in internal communications, training, and reporting practices. Public affairs manager not only represents their company to decision-makers but increasingly also communicates about lobbying internally and externally, trains the organization in handling transparency register practices, and ensures that sustainable lobbying practices are followed. Overall, both internal and external communication about lobbying activities has increased.

The regulatory burden caused by the Transparency Register has been considered moderate after implementation. This is thanks to the systematic reporting practices and internal reporting tools of the interviewed organizations. However, the study noted that creating new internal processes, training staff, and implementing reporting tools has required significant work.

The Transparency Register makes lobbying more systematic and planned

Furthermore, the study revealed that while lobbying activities themselves might not change, reporting requirements have made existing lobbying plans and operating models more professional and structured. Large companies have previously conducted lobbying based on planned meeting programs or operating models, but their steering effect and monitoring have been further strengthened with the Transparency Register. Systematic lobbying is easy to record for the Transparency Register.

In summary, transparency in lobbying activities requires more professionalism and planning from the lobbyist. Requirements for the skill set of public affairs managers have expanded, and the requirements for sustainable lobbying and the importance of communicating about lobbying have been emphasized. Fortunately, however, the regulatory burden brought by the Transparency Register can be managed through systematic reporting practices.

As the Transparency Register establishes its place in Finnish society and politics, lobbying activities must become even more planned. Then lobbying is effective, timely, and easy to report to the Transparency Register.

The blog post is based on Toni Pakarinen’s master’s thesis at Hanken School of Economics. Toni also studied the operating mechanics of the Transparency Register in his political science master’s thesis published in 2022. Miltton has not participated in the preparation or funding of the theses.

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