Author:

Aldenir Brandão da Rocha

Abstract:

This study discusses the role of government relations advisors within the Brazilian National Congress, in a context of unregulated activity. The study assumes that, despite the absence of specific rules governing lobbying, these professionals perform tasks typical of the activity. For an initial approach to the field, the study is guided by Grounded Theory, aiming to formulate hypotheses about lobbying actors. The approach will also incorporate elements of institutional theories, historical and sociological neo-institutionalism, considering the relevance of the role of institutions in the behavioral patterns of agents and the sociological aspects involved in the study of interest group typologies. The research also falls within the field of informal rules studies. Furthermore, the study will rely on bibliographic sources and data on the practices and strategies adopted by the actors, collected from extracts of focus group sessions, a technique that allows the participation of agents in the research process. To this end, the actors accredited to work within the National Congress to compose these groups will be identified. The expected gains from this study consist of the possibility that, despite the lack of specific rules, the activity finds shelter within rules that provide a minimum of support for the organic nature and logic of its operation. Partial results of the study suggest that the institutionalization of the field is growing, with the inclusion of new sectors, companies, and trade associations. Regarding regulation, there is a noticeable indifference among the actors in this respect, given the low level of knowledge about the regulatory proposals currently being processed in the houses of the National Congress.