Insegnamento mutuato da: B030751 - INTEREST GROUPS POLITICS Laurea Magistrale in POLITICA, ISTITUZIONI E MERCATO Curriculum ISTITUZIONI E LOBBYING
Lingua Insegnamento
INGLESE
Contenuto del corso
According to the literature on democracy, interest groups are defined as important channels of societal representation and key actors for effective problem-solving and in the implementation of legislation. Based on this understanding, the course aims to analyze the role of interest groups' lobbying activities across institutional branches and policy-making stages, with a focus on EU supranational decision-making.
Please pay attention to attendance requirements and to variations in curricula due to the number of credits (6 or 9 CFU) attributed by your course.
9 CFU
Bibliography for attending students (presence during online classes + seminar-based activities, see evaluation procedures) _9cfu:
a) Mandatory readings (all available in the library)
1. Versluis E, Van Keulen M and Stephenson P (2010) Analyzing the European Union Policy Process. Macmillan International Higher Education.
2. Greenwood, J (2017) (4th edtn.) Interest Representation in the European Union Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan
3. Sandra Kröger (2016), Europeanised or European? Representation by Civil Society Organisations in EU Policy Making, ECPR Press.
b) Suggestions for additional reading and online resources will be provided during the course
Bibliography for Non Attending Students_9cfu:
Mandatory readings (all available in the library or online through your university account)
1. Versluis E, Van Keulen M and Stephenson P (2010) Analyzing the European Union Policy Process. Macmillan International Higher Education.
2. Greenwood, J (2017) (4th edtn.) Interest Representation in the European Union (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan
3. Sandra Kröger (2016), Europeanised or European? Representation by Civil Society Organisations in EU Policy Making, ECPR Press.
4. Hanegraaff, Marcel (2019), Whose Side are You on? Explaining the Extent to Which National Interest Groups Support States in Global Politics, JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies, 57(3), 563-579, 2019
5. Rainer Eising, Daniel Rasch & Patrycja Rozbicka (2017) National interest organisations in EU policy-making, West European Politics, 40:5, 939-956.
6. De Bruycker, Iskander (2016), Pressure and Expertise: Explaining the Information Supply of Interest Groups in EU Legislative Lobbying, JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies, 54(3): 599-616, 2016
6 CFU
Bibliography for Attending students (presence during online classes + seminar-based activities see evaluation procedures)_ 6CFU
a) Mandatory readings (all available in the library)
1. Greenwood, J (2017) (4th edtn.) Interest Representation in the European Union (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan)
2. Sandra Kröger (2016), Europeanised or European? Representation by Civil Society Organisations in EU Policy Making, ECPR Press.
b) Suggestions for additional reading and online resources will be provided during the course
Bibliography for Non Attending Students_6cfu:
Mandatory readings (all available in the library or online through your university account)
1. Greenwood, J (2017) (4th edtn.) Interest Representation in the European Union (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan3.
2. Sandra Kröger (2016), Europeanised or European? Representation by Civil Society Organisations in EU Policy Making, ECPR Press.
3. Hanegraaff, Marcel (2019), Whose Side are You on? Explaining the Extent to Which National Interest Groups Support States in Global Politics, JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies, 57(3), 563-579, 2019
4. Rainer Eising, Daniel Rasch & Patrycja Rozbicka (2017) National interest organisations in EU policy-making, West European Politics, 40:5, 939-956.
5. De Bruycker, Iskander (2016), Pressure and Expertise: Explaining the Information Supply of Interest Groups in EU Legislative Lobbying, JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies, 54(3): 599-616, 2016
Obiettivi Formativi
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
distinguish the different types of interest groups, their organization and features of their collective action
explain the contributions of interest groups at different stages of the policy making cycle
illustrate the distinctiveness of lobbying in the EU policy process
critically review and evaluate contemporary studies about national and supranational decision-making, with a special focus on the strategies of lobbying actors
present concisely academic theories and arguments both in writing and orally
Prerequisiti
• Good writing and communication skills in English
• Sound knowledge of EU policymaking and EU policies. An introduction to the main concepts and theories in EU policy analysis will be provided during the first module. This is mandatory for students requiring 9 CFU but the video recording of the lecture can also be requested by 6-CFU students (please contact the instructors if interested)
• Sound knowledge of comparative politics
Metodi Didattici
The course consists of lectures and seminars. There will be three lectures per week.
Active students are required two in-class presentations on news related to the core topics and readings provided by the two instructors. This in-class activity will count for 40% of the final grade
Altre Informazioni
English Version
Modalità di verifica apprendimento
Please be aware that two distinct evaluation procedures apply based on whether you are an attending or non-attending student
Procedure A
Target: NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS
Evaluation in two steps.
Step 1: One minimum 5000-maximum 6000 word paper (including references, tables, etc.) ->16 out of 32 points
Step 2: Traditional written exam based on the list of compulsory readings (3 open questions to be answered during a 90min written exam) -> 16 out of 32 points. Submission of the paper (step 1) is a mandatory condition to the written exam. Submission deadline is 10 days before the date of the written exam.
Procedure B
Target: ATTENDING STUDENTS
2 individual or group presentations -> 12 out of 32 points
1 minimum 5000-maximum 6000 word paper (including references, tables, etc.) -> 16 out of 32 points. Submission deadline is 10 days before the official date of the exam.
Participation in class discussion -> 4 out of 32 points
Rules for the submission of the paper (both for attendant and non-attendant students):
The topic of the paper should be on a topic related to the program and agreed with one of the two instructors. The paper is due 10 days before the date of the exam in electronic format. Penalties for late submission (applicable to all students): 1 point for every working day after the deadline. Papers submitted more than 5 working days late will not be assessed. If your paper does not respect word limits, points will be deducted. Note that the paper is supposed to comply with the basic requirements of an academic research paper: clear identification of a research question or thesis that the student seeks to support through the use of both primary and secondary sources. Moreover, each paper is expected to provide a critical assessment of the literature (evaluation of the arguments provided, biases, points of contention). It is expected to mention at least 5 scientific sources. Detailed guidelines on academic writing and assessment criteria will be given during the course (non-attending students will have access to recordings of the lecture elucidating this argument). Additionally, students are strongly invited to contact and seek advice from the two instructors before and during the preparation of the paper.
Tips to become a successful attending student
Ask yourself these questions:
Did I attend the online class?
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?
Criteria for being considered an attending student:
Participation (at least 75%) – in room and online
Two in-class presentations
Programma del corso
Extra 3 CFU:
Understanding EU policy-making
Studying EU policy-making
An introduction to EU institutions and actors
An introduction to EU policies
The stage of EU Agenda setting
Policy formulation and decision-making in the EU
Implementation and evaluation in the EU
Main topics_ 6CFU:
Introduction to academic writing
Introduction: concepts, methods.
The variety of interests in Europe
EU interest representation
The Regulation of Lobbying (national and EU level)
Civil society and interest groups
Business interest groups
In-depth study of a successful form of environmental activism: Mining activism (business lobbying, environmental organizations, public institutions): the Case of Rosia Montana
Conclusions: Q&A, comment