GREENWOOD Justin & DELALANDE Pierre & WINAND Pascaline - Interest Representation in the EU (20h)

Whilst ‘lobbying’ conjures popular images of public decision making captured by selective private interests in invisible ways, interactions between international political institutions and a variety of organised interests (producer, citizen, etc.) play a systemic and routinized role in the functioning of international organisations, regulated for the achievement of public goals.  Because international organisations have weaker connections to civil society than national governments, they use organised civil society (interest groups, etc.) as the nearest (though imperfect) proxy.  Interest groups provide information and political support for international organisations to achieve their policy goals, and thus political institutions lobby advocacy groups in order to achieve their goals, as well as vice-versa.  Advocacy groups provide a source of contestation in a political system otherwise founded on consensus.  Away from ‘systemic insiders’ are a cadre of social movements who introduce politicisation to the EU political system which transcend national boundaries. 

Highlights of teaching and learning strategies include: case studies with discussion and small group problem-solving elements; common readings followed by class discussion; work with databases; elective presentations; traditional lectures; continual learning via incentivised course intranet discussions. Prof. Greenwood teaches 18 hours of the course and Prof. Delalande teaches the remaining 2 hours. // ECTS Card

Professors: Justin GREENWOOD & Pierre DELALANDE & Pascaline WINAND