page_title: Bias
section_title: Lobbying
hierarchical_section_title: Bias / Types of bias / Conflicts of interest / Lobbying
caption_attribution_description: Nederlands: Doos met tabakswaren die Europarlementslid Kartika Liotard ontving in september 2013 in verband met een ophanden zijnde stemming over het bestrijden van de gevaren van het roken. Ze stuurde het geschenk verontwaardigd terug omdat ze de beïnvloeding door de tabaks- en verpakkingsindustrie een ongewenste vorm van lobbyen vond.
context_page_description: Bias is disproportionate weight in favor of or against an idea or thing, usually in a way that is closed-minded, prejudicial, or unfair. Biases can be innate or learned. People may develop biases for or against an individual, a group, or a belief. In science and engineering, a bias is a systematic error. Statistical bias results from an unfair sampling of a population, or from an estimation process that does not give accurate results on average.
context_section_description: Lobbying is the attempt to influence choices made by administrators, frequently lawmakers or individuals from administrative agencies. Lobbyists may be among a legislator's constituencies, or not; they may engage in lobbying as a business, or not. Lobbying is often spoken of with contempt, the implication is that people with inordinate socioeconomic power are corrupting the law in order to serve their own interests.  When people who have a duty to act on behalf of others, such as elected officials with a duty to serve their constituents' interests or more broadly the common good, stand to benefit by shaping the law to serve the interests of some private parties, there is a conflict of interest. This can lead to all sides in a debate looking to sway the issue by means of lobbyists.
caption: Box offered by tobacco lobbyists to Dutch Member of the European Parliament Kartika Liotard in September 2013
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