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Department of International Relations and European Studies Masaryk University

COURSE PROGRAM

Course title: Lobbying in the European and global context

Degree: Master
Semester: Autumn 2014
Lecturer: Karolina Boroska-Hryniewiecka, Ph.D.
Form of tuition: Lecture (4x2hrs); Workshop (8x2hrs)
Time and place: 15:15-17:00, room PC54


DESCRIPTION OF THE COURSE

This course provides a guide into lobbying and public affairs practices in the
European Union and beyond. Its aim is to provide students with the knowledge
about the most influential interest groups in todays world and their mobilization
strategies, resources and channels of influence. During the course, students will learn
how lobbying campaigns are crafted, funded and implemented not only at EU level,
but in the global economic and political context.

During the workshops students will examine different types of policy-sectors where
corporate interest groups operate such as international trade agreements, tobacco
industry, GMO and food industry, bio-technology, energy and climate, intellectual
property, financial sector and consumer protection. Important focus will be paid to
the question of ethics and transparency in the lobbying activities.

SCHEDULE OF THE COURSE

25.09.2014 Lecture 1 & Workshop 1 (full lecture and introductory workshop)
09.10.2014 Lecture 2 & Workshop 2
23.10.2014 Lecture 3 & Workshop 3
06.11.2014 Lecture 4 & Workshop 4
20.11.2014 Workshop 5 & Workshop 6
04.12.2014 Workshop 7 & Workshop 8


CONTENTS OF THE COURSE AND LITERATURE

LECTURE 1: BASIC CONCEPTS
Politics, polity and policy; preferences, interests and choices; Public Choice
Theory; interest aggregation, politicization and articulation; interest groups and
their functions; lobbying; public relations; public affairs

Literature:
A. Cigler and B. Loomis, Interest group politics, SAGE 2012, Introduction,
pp.1-30
G.K. Wilson, Interest groups, Basil Blackwell 1990, pp. 1-17
Department of International Relations and European Studies Masaryk University



WORKSHOP 1: ORGANIZATION OF WORK AND ASSIGNMENT OF
PRESENTATION TOPICS.


LECTURE 2: LOBBYING AND POLITICAL ADVOCACY
Lobbying traditions; lobbying types; functions of lobbying; lobbyist as a
profession; political context of lobbying

Literature:
I. Michalowitz, Assessing influence of interest groups in the EU, Institute for
Advanced Studies, Vienna 2005


WORKSHOP 2: CASE STUDIES EU TOBACCO DIRECTIVE , TOBACCO
LOBBYING

Sources:
http://www.theguardian.com/business/2013/sep/07/tobacco-philip-
morris-millions-delay-eu-legislation
http://www.euractiv.com/health/documents-show-industrys-lobbyis-news-
530308

LECTURE 3: MEASURING INTEREST GROUPS INFLUENCE

Literature:
A. Dr, Measuring Interest Group Influence in the EU: a note on
methodology, European Union Politics 2008, 9 pp. 559
C. Mahoney, Lobbying Success in the United States and the European Union,
Journal of Public Policy 2007, 27(1), pp.35-56.

WORKSHOP 3: CASE STUDIES GMO and FOOD SAFETY

Sources:
http://rt.com/op-edge/monsanto-gmo-ecology-profit-411/
http://corporateeurope.org/agribusiness/2014/02/biotech-lobby-shuns-
consumers-gmo-consumer-benefit-event
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/junk-food-marketing

LECTURE 4: LOBBYING CONTEXT IN THE EUROPEAN UNION
Transnationalization of interest representation; Europeanization of IG; EU as a
context for interest representation; European Commission; European
Parliament; Council of the EU; Committee of the Regions; CJEU

Literature:
K. Boroska-Hryniewiecka, Europeanization of non-state actors: towards a
framework for analysis, in: Civil Society and International Governance,
Routledge 2011, pp.73-90
Department of International Relations and European Studies Masaryk University

K. Joos, Lobbying in the new Europe, Wiley 2011, Part 4, pp. 80-115
Corporate Europe Observatory, Lobby Planet Brussels, 2011


WORKSHOP 4: CASE STUDIES SHALE GAS, FRACKING and RENEWABLE
SOURCES OF ENERGY

Sources:
Foot on the gas:
http://corporateeurope.org/sites/default/files/shale_gas_lobby_final.pdf
Lobbying shale gas in Europe, Report by Buisset, Oye and Selleslagsh (pdf
Renewable energy lobby: http://www.erec.org/
http://corporateeurope.org/climate-and-energy/2012/11/foot-gas-
lobbyists-push-unregulated-shale-gas

WORKSHOP 5: LOBBYING REGULATIONS IN THE EU & THE US
Principles of good governance; smart regulation; Commission consultation
policy; Codes of conduct of MEP; transparency register for lobbyists; unethical
behavior; revolving doors, US regulations

Literature:
European Parliament, Lobbying in the European union: Current rules and
practices, 2003, pp. 31-43
EU transparency register:
http://ec.europa.eu/transparencyregister/info/homePage.do
MEP code of conduct (2012)


WORKSHOP 6: CASE STUDIES TRANSATLANTIC TRADE AND INVESTMENT
PARTNERSHIP

Sources:
Trade Agreement with Side-Effects? European Union and United States to Negotiate
Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, Stormy-Annika Mildner and
Claudia Schmucker
http://corporateeurope.org/trade/2014/02/what-are-you-hiding-opacity-eu-us-
trade-talks
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/19/world/europe/lobbying-bonanza-
as-firms-try-to-influence-european-union.html?_r=0


WORKSHOP 7: CASE STUDIES - INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY; ACTA;
CONSUMER PROTECTION POLICY


Sources:
http://corporateeurope.org/blog/pro-acta-lobbies-fail-transparency
http://www.europeanvoice.com/article/imported/lobbyists-woo-meps-over-anti-
piracy-treaty-/73592.aspx
Department of International Relations and European Studies Masaryk University

http://www.sjberwin.com/insights/2014/04/24/consumer-rights-directive-
significant-changes-to-consumer-rights-in-the-eu
Consumer Protection in the EU: 10 basic principles, EC 2005

WORKSHOP 8: CASE STUDIES EMISSION TRADING SCHEME

Sources:
Corporate Europe Observatory, Industry lobbying on emissions trading
scheme hits the jackpot: the cases of Arcelor Mittal and Lafarg, 2010
CentrePiece 2010, Europes emissions trading scheme: taxpayers versus the
industry lobby (pdf)


COURSE REQUIREMENTS & FINAL GRADING

The final grade in this course is composed of a weighted average of a workshop
and lecture grade. Workshop grade consists of the following elements:

Participation and readings - 50%

Students are expected to actively participate in the discussion on the basis of the
required readings. Absence at the workshop will have to be justified and
compensated for by a position paper.

In class-presentation 40%
All students will have to prepare a presentation on the assigned topic. On the
basis of their own research (internet sources; TV; press) and suggested literature
students will prepare a 20 min presentation of a particular lobbying case:
interest groups and their lobbying strategy.
Presentations should include a brief introduction to the particular
policy/sectoral problem being lobbied for; contextualization of the issue ( who is
the stakeholder, what are the potential conflicts of interests); the legislative
position of the decision-maker (EU; US, other global actors) description of the
lobbying strategy/campaign; effects and repercussions. The presenter should
open a discussion by posing questions to the group. Presentations should be
complemented with power point illustration.

Press briefing 10%
Students are expected to read and follow the news in mass media. At the beginning of
each workshop the lecturer might ask a student to present a short press briefing of a
chosen article related to various aspects of the world politics and interest groups. It is
supposed to be a 2-3 minutes problem statement based on the questions:
what/where/why/what consequences?

The lectures finish with a final test based on 7-8 open questions covering (only)
lectures.

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