EU has done really well on passing big laws such as GDPR in the recent years, while the US can’t even seem to decide whether to fund their own government. Why do you think Europe is doing better than the US? One would think that since EU is more diverse it would be harder to find common ground. And there were examples of that during the Greece debt crisis. But not anymore, it seems.

    • bleistift2@feddit.de
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      1 year ago

      “yet”.

      I feel like we’re just one or two decades behind on … everything bad in the US.

      • ForgotAboutDre@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        I think it is much harder to lobby the EU due to it’s structure. The EU is composed of many countries with distinct culture and objectives. The only way for everyone to agree on policies is compromise. This makes it much harder to successfully lobby…

        If you lobby one political party in the EU successfully, you will only have about 2% of the votes Whereas in the US you have about 50% of the votes and of course you would focus on the party best placed to make the change.

        Europe does still have issues with lobbies. In many of the individual countries the effectiveness of lobbying is comparable, and in some cases worse.

        The best solution are anti-lobbying regulation, increased political engagement of the electorate, better journalism and proportionate representarion.

        • suomisepp@feddit.de
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          1 year ago

          I think it is exactly the other way around. Companies are well-organized on the global level and can influence Brussels and national EU governments. See the latest Qatar scandal or the often cited cucumber regulations. However, in Europe, the social market orientation results in majorities favoring more government control. In contrast, the US often rejects such policies as “communism”.

      • dustyData@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Maybe it’s just me, but it seems that Lobbying isn’t that big in Europe and several states have laws actively against the practice. Sure, corrupt politicians still exists, but they are more easily exposed under anti-corruption laws. Unlike in the USA where it’s practically legalized bribery.

    • BraveSirZaphod@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      What web of corporations wanted the House to lose its Speaker? The prospect of a shutdown deadline in forty days with a paralyzed House isn’t exactly good for business.

      Lobbying is a problem, but there are many other much deeper issues that cripple American democracy.