Lobbying in Tunisia: Developing a Transparency Regime to Tackle Perceptions of Corruption

This chapter analyses concerns about political lobbying in Tunisia. It builds on ‘institutional corruption’ theory to help identify those concerns and suggest reform. Tunisia has been struggling to sustain the only democracy in North Africa following the Tunisian Revolution of 2010â€"2011, which led to significant constitutional change. That transition has been tumultuous, with concerns about the control of the media by lobbyists, the links between government ministers and industry, and the flow of ‘corrupt money’ in Parliament to influence legislation, all of which threaten to derail democratic development.

To protect and advance democratic progress, Tunisia should implement lobbying regulations. Based on an analysis of institutional corruption, this chapter argues for a robust transparency mechanism premised on best practices from Canada. Implementing those lessons can help place Tunisia’s democratic development on a more trustworthy and robust footing based on recognised international norms.