Course teached as: B026832 - THEORIES AND PRACTICE OF LOBBYING Second Cycle Degree in INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND EUROPEAN STUDIES
Teaching Language
English
Course Content
According to the literature on democracy, interest groups are defined as important channels of societal representation of policy demands and key
actors of effective problem-solving and implementation of legislation. Starting from this assumption, the course aims to analyse the role of
interest groups' lobbying activities across institutional branches and policymaking stages, with a focus on EU supranational decision-making.
Please pay attention to the criteria of attendance: there are two types of bibliography.
Bibliography for attendant students (minimum 75% presence in room + additional requirements, see evaluation procedures)
a) Mandatory readings
Greenwood, J (2017) (4th edtn.) Interest Representation in the European Union (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan)
Sandra Kröger (2016), Europeanised or European? Representation by Civil Society Organisations in EU Policy Making, ECPR Press.
b) Useful additional information (to be consulted on regular basis):
http://www.euractiv.com/
http://www.politico.eu/brussels/
https://corporateeurope.org/ (https://corporateeurope.org/power-lobbies)
https://ec.europa.eu/info/about-european-union/principles-and-values/transparency_en
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/atyourservice/en/20150201PVL00050/Ethics-and-transparency
http://www.epc.eu/
https://euobserver.com
www.socialeurope.eu
c) List of optional readings supplied in class
Bibliography for Non Attendant Students or Students with less 75% attendance:
a) Mandatory readings
Greenwood, J (2017) (4th edtn.) Interest Representation in the European Union (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan)
Sandra Kröger (2016), Europeanised or European? Representation by Civil Society Organisations in EU Policy Making, ECPR Press.
b) Useful additional information (to be consulted on regular basis):
http://www.euractiv.com/
http://www.politico.eu/brussels/
https://corporateeurope.org/ (https://corporateeurope.org/power-lobbies)
https://ec.europa.eu/info/about-european-union/principles-and-values/transparency_en
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/atyourservice/en/20150201PVL00050/Ethics-and-transparency
http://www.epc.eu/
https://euobserver.com
www.socialeurope.eu
c) Mandatory articles:
Rainer Eising, Daniel Rasch & Patrycja Rozbicka (2017) National
interest organisations in EU policy-making, West European Politics, 40:5, 939-956.
Acar Kutay (2017), How does the European Commission Create a European Civil Society with Words? A Discourse Theoretical Inquiry JCMS, 55 (5) 1094–1109.
THOMAS PERSSON and KAJSA EDHOLM (2017) Assessing the Effects of European Union Funding of Civil
Society Organizations: Money for Nothing?, online first.
Learning Objectives
The course will
• introduce students to the different types of interests and features of their collective action.
• allow students to have access to update information about the ways in which interests contribute to the everyday policy making, implementation, and monitoring
• provide a better knowledge of the degree of uniqueness in the EU system of organised civil society
• allow students to demonstrate on the job market theoretical and empirical knowledge and understanding of core concepts and theories in the field of comparative lobbying and interest groups
• allow students to make use of their analytical skills in order to critically assess contemporary politics and policymaking and as such allow them to be able to explain the functions of interest groups and lobbying in national and supranational decision-making processes in a systematic way
Prerequisites
• Good writing and communication skills in English
• Sound knowledge of Eu policy-making and Eu policies
• Sound elements of comparative politics
Teaching Methods
he course consists of lectures and seminars. There will be three lectures per week.
Active students are required two in-class comments on the weakly readings provided by the teacher. This in-class activity will count 50% of the final grade
Further information
English Version
Type of Assessment
Please pay attention: two distinct evaluation procedures
Procedure A
Target: NON-ATTENDANT STUDENTS or STUDENTS WITH LESS than 75% attendance
Evaluation in two steps.
Step 1: A maximum 6000 words paper, counting 50% of the grade. The topic of the paper will be the analysis of an aspect related to interest groups activities. Detailed instructions as to writing the will be presented upon request. The paper will be due 10 days before the date of the exam in both electronic and printed version. Each student is required to provide both an electronic and hard copy of the seminar paper. The final seminar paper is due at least 10 days before the date of the exam. Penalties for late submission (applicable to all students): 1 point per working day. Papers handed in more than 5 days late will receive a zero. If you submit an overlong essay, points will be deducted. Note that this seminar paper is supposed to comply with the basic requirements of a research paper: clear identification of a point of view, a research question or thesis the student seeks to support through the use of both primary and secondary sources. Each paper is expected to provide a critical assessment of the secondary sources (evaluation of the arguments provided, biases, points of contention). It is expected to mention at least 10 scientific sources.
It is strongly suggested to contact S. Soare before and during the preparation of the paper. Support guarenteed!
Step 2: Traditional written exam based on the list of compulsory readings (3 open questions to be treated during a 90min written exam). Step 1 is a mandatory access condition to the written exam.
Procedure B
Target ACTIVE Attendant Students
Evaluation procedure:
= room attendnace up to 10p (at least 75% presence (list of attendance) (up to 5p) and discussion participation, participation to Wednesday seminar on individual or group work (at least participation per person), and discussion during students' presentation (up to 5p)). Please note that reasonable excused absences granted, please send an individual mail.
= up to 10 p for the individual presentation of a research topic (powerpoint presentation with specific requirements to be detailed during the first class)
= 10 p for the final project (to be submitted in written form)
To be a successful active attendant, ask yourself these questions:
Did I attend the class for at least 75%?
Was I adequately prepared to participate in the discussion/activity?
Did I make contributions that added to everyone's understanding of the subject?
Did I facilitate other people's participation?
Did I take care not to dominate the discussion?
Requirements final paper: A maximum 6000 words paper,. The topic of the paper will be the analysis of an aspect related to interest groups activities. Detailed instructions as to writing the will be presented in the introductory lessons. The paper will be due 10 days before the date of the exam in both electronic and printed version. Each student is required to provide me with both an electronic and hard copy of the paper. Penalties for late submission (applicable to all students): 1 point per working day. Papers handed in more than 5 days late will receive a zero. If you submit an overlong essay, points will be deducted. Note that this seminar paper is supposed to comply with the basic requirements of a research paper: clear identification of a point of view, a research question or thesis the student seeks to support through the use of both primary and secondary sources. Each paper is expected to provide a critical assessment of the secondary sources (evaluation of the arguments provided, biases, points of contention). It is expected to mention at least 10 scientific sources.
Course program
Main topics:
1. Introduction: concepts, methods.
2. The variety of interests in Europe
3. EU interest representation
4. The Regulation of Lobbying
5. In-depth study of a successful form of environmental activism: Mining activism (business lobbying, environmental organizations, public institutions): the Case of Rosia Montana
6. Project-Based Learning – first draft of home assignment (Starting the end of November, exact date to be decided) - presentations in class on powerpoint support
8. Conclusions: Q&A, comment