1) Good lobbying: Google lobbies congress to allow self driving cars in all 50 states. result: good because its asking for permission not taxpayer handouts, consumers pay the entity through supply and demand not taxes
2) Grey area lobbying: Light rail manufacturers lobbied congress to increase federal spending to help with light rail projects across America. result: uses taxpayer dollars, might increase light rail projects in areas where it isn't needed, takes tax payer dollars and transfers them to the entity doing the lobbying
3) Bad lobbying: Chrysler, GM, & Ford lobbied congress to lower the fuel efficiency standard (MPG) and prevent increases. result: screwed themselves over because in the long run they could no longer compete fuel consumption wise with foreign auto makers and had to be bailed out
Most people don't understand that lobbying is a tool. It can be used to enact laws that benefit or hurt different groups of people. It's more talked about when it does bad so people assume all lobbying is bad. Same with "bacteria", "fat" and "cholesterol".
One point about "good lobbying" though. Often, "bad lobbying" takes the guise of "good lobbying." Imagine a coal company lobbying to loosen air pollution controls, to leave to the market the decision of whether cheaper electricity or cleaner air is more valuable. It is easy to disguise permission to externalize negative effects as simply permission to let the market decide.
I wouldn't say the primary criteria is whether tax dollars are spent, though that can be important. There is also ROI on the public expenditure, non-economic effects on citizens (health, security, etc.), democratic fairness (does lobbying unfairly reduce other citizens' voice in the decisions), and justice (do the results cause injustices to others).
2) Grey area lobbying: Light rail manufacturers lobbied congress to increase federal spending to help with light rail projects across America. result: uses taxpayer dollars, might increase light rail projects in areas where it isn't needed, takes tax payer dollars and transfers them to the entity doing the lobbying
3) Bad lobbying: Chrysler, GM, & Ford lobbied congress to lower the fuel efficiency standard (MPG) and prevent increases. result: screwed themselves over because in the long run they could no longer compete fuel consumption wise with foreign auto makers and had to be bailed out
Most people don't understand that lobbying is a tool. It can be used to enact laws that benefit or hurt different groups of people. It's more talked about when it does bad so people assume all lobbying is bad. Same with "bacteria", "fat" and "cholesterol".