C8965 - RELAZIONI PUBBLICHE, LOBBYING E ADVOCACY

Learning outcomes

The laboratory aims to provide students with both theoretical and practical knowledge and skills in the fields of public affairs and institutional relations, with a specific focus on the design and implementation of lobbying and advocacy strategies and tactics directed, respectively, at political-institutional actors and public opinion. More specifically, the various sessions are designed to foster understanding, critical analysis, and practical application of the political activation and mobilization strategies most commonly employed by professional lobbyists.

At the end of the laboratory, students will: 1) have an in-depth understanding of what it means to work as a lobbyist; 2) master the principal techniques of lobbying and advocacy; 3) be able to understand the political, media, and strategic contextual factors that shape and, over time, may lead to modifications in lobbying activities; 4) be capable of designing a comprehensive lobbying strategy aimed at bringing an issue to the attention of public opinion, influencing public attitudes toward a specific policy measure under discussion, and thereby affecting democratic decision-making processes.

Course contents

The laboratory (consisting of ten two-hour sessions) is divided into two parts. In the first part (12 hours), aside from an introductory session delivered in the traditional lecture format and devoted to the presentation and discussion of the analytical concepts employed throughout the laboratory, the course adopts a seminar-based approach. Following a brief theoretical and analytical introduction by the instructor to the topic under examination (specifically: back-office lobbying; front-office lobbying; monitoring and specialization; coalition lobbying; lobbying versus advocacy), students will be required to present assigned readings (one per student), which will serve as the basis for a broader class discussion. The second part (8 hours) is entirely devoted to the simulation of a lobbying environment in the classroom. Working in groups, students are required to identify and map the decision-makers potentially involved in a specific policy decision (first session), develop the corresponding lobbying strategy (second session) and position paper (third session), and finally present both documents to the class (fourth session), based on a set of political and media background materials provided directly by the instructor.

Readings for Discussion

The assigned readings complement the material presented by the instructor during the introductory lecture. Each reading will be presented by a single student, but all students are expected to study the readings in advance in order to participate actively in the concluding class discussion.

Group Work

Once organized into groups, students are required to simulate a lobbying campaign connected to a specific policy-making process, acting on behalf of one of the organized interests involved in that process.

Specifically:

1. First Session (Session 7)

After selecting the interest group they will represent and the policy process on which they will focus, students will:

• identify the relevant policy issues at stake (policy coding);
• map the positions of the principal organized interests involved with respect to those issues (stakeholder mapping).

2. Second Session (Session 8)

Students will:

• develop a draft strategic plan (2–3 pages), including decisions regarding coalition-building with allied interests, the choice between lobbying and advocacy, the main targets of lobbying activities, and the framing of the policy measures under discussion;
• translate this plan into a PowerPoint presentation.

3. Third Session (Session 9)

Students will:

• prepare a draft position paper (1–2 pages), outlining policy positions and supporting arguments;
• incorporate its main contents into their PowerPoint presentation.

4. Fourth Session (Session 10)

Students will:

• present their strategic plan and the main contents of their position paper (maximum 20 minutes);
• participate in a collective discussion of the various plans presented, in light of the theoretical and analytical concepts learned during the laboratory.

Readings/Bibliography

• Required textbook: Pritoni, A. (2021), Politica e interessi. Il lobbying nelle democrazie contemporanee. Bologna: Il Mulino (Chapters 1 and 4).
• Student presentations (Sessions 2–6): readings to be determined based on the number of students enrolled in the laboratory.

Teaching methods

The laboratory employs a variety of teaching methods, ranging from the traditional lecture format (Session 1), to more seminar-oriented activities (Sessions 2–6), and finally to group-based practical exercises conducted in class (Sessions 7–10).

Assessment methods

Students will obtain a pass grade upon: 1) attending at least seven of the ten scheduled sessions; 2) presenting the assigned reading in class; 3) contributing to the preparation and subsequent plenary discussion of the lobbying strategy and position paper developed within their working group.

Attendance at Sessions 7, 8, 9, and 10 is therefore mandatory.

Teaching tools

Classes will be supported by PowerPoint presentations.

Office hours

See the website of Andrea Pritoni