| Lobbyism and public affairs | Codi: M3.358 Crèdits: 6 |
This course intends to provide students with the working knowledge and tools to learn how to lobby ethically and effectively.
Lobbyism and public affairs is one of the subjects that students can choose to complete the 18 optional ECTS credits that make up the University Master's Degree in Corporate Communication, Protocol and Events.
Lobbying is popularly understood as the activity of trying to persuade or pressure a public authority to support laws or rules that favour an organisation, a group or an individual. Lobbying has an important function in our democracies, despite its bad press. Citizens, individually or through interest groups, have the democratic right to interact with authorities to present their views on public decisions. Lobbying can inform public decision-makers with valuable insights and data while it tries to exert influence on policy-making at all levels.
The main areas in which graduates of this master's degree may go on to develop careers are communications departments, institutional relations, public relations agencies, and agencies specializing in lobbying and public affairs.
It is strongly recommended to have completed all (or at least most) of the compulsory subjects of the master before taking this optional subject.
The subject is taught in English, but it is not the level of English that is evaluated in it.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
- Develop a strategic relations plan with the public authorities
- Design a lobbying campaign in line with the objectives of the organization
- Understand the fundamentals of lobbying by learning first-hand about national and international lobbying case studies from different sectors: corporate, non-profit and public.
SKILLS:
- Efficient communication, integrating complex ideas and defending them persuasively.
- Strategic planning, leadership and implementation of corporate communication plans.
- Analysis of communicative weaknesses and strengths of an organization for the design of strategic proposals based on the segmentation of publics.
- Analysis of how political structures operate, and how they can be influenced.
- Ability to strategically use lobbying and public affairs techniques in the political, business and governmental worlds.
- Implementation of established research techniques in the field of lobbying and public affairs in an ethical manner.
- Development and defense of corporate communication projects that include the four phases of strategic planning: research, planning, execution and evaluation.
Module 1. Lobbying and Interest Groups
1.1. Lobbying and Lobbyists
1.1.1. Typology
1.2. Interest Groups
1.2.1. Concept
1.2.2. Elements
1.2.3. Typology
1.3. Lobbying and Public Affairs in a Democracy: Legitimacy
1.4. The Role of the Press: Agenda-Setting
1.5. Think Tanks, Public Relations and Lobbying
1.6. The Business of Lobbying: Consultancies, Professionals and Deontology
Module 2. Strategic Relations with Public Authorities: The Communication Planning Process of RPIE (Research, Planning, Implementation and Evaluation)
2.1. Research
2.1.1. Strategic Research and Analysis
2.1.2. Sources
2.1.3. New Research Tools: Big Data and Artificial Intelligence.
2.2. Planning. Identifying and Defining:
2.2.1. Objectives
2.2.2. Target Groups
2.2.3. Messages
2.2.4. Timing
2.3. Implementation
2.3.1. Main Tools and Techniques
2.3.2. Social Media in Lobbying Campaigns
2.4. Evaluation
Module 3. Comparative Lobbying, Campaign Finance and Fund-Raising
3.1. The European Union
3.1.1. Brief History
3.1.2. Lobbying the European Union's Main Institutions and Bodies
3.1.3. The EU's Ordinary Legislative Procedure: Co-Decision
3.1.4. Regulation of Lobbying. The European Transparency Register
3.2. Lobbying in Spain: Regulation and Practice
3.2.1. The Transparency Law. Regional and Sectoral Transparency Regulation.
3.3. Transparency in European Countries. An Overview.
3.4. Lobbying in the United States
| Material | Suport |
| Entrevista Francesc Bellavista | Audiovisual |
| Entrevista Barbara Morales | Audiovisual |
| Entrevista Antoni Torras | Audiovisual |
| Entrevista Ignasi Centellas | Audiovisual |
| MU Comunicació Corporativa, Protocol i Esdeveniments. Casos | Web |
| Estudi de cas. El Motí d'Aranjuez, una festa amb identitat pròpia | Web |
- Bitonti, A.; Harris, P. (eds.) (2017). Lobbying in Europe. Public Affairs and the Lobbying Industry in 28 EU Countries. Palgrave Macmillan.
- Harris, P.; Fleisher, C. S. (eds.) (2017). The SAGE Handbook of International Corporate and Public Affairs. London: Sage Publications.
- Lovejoy, K.; Saxton, G. D. (2012). "Information, Community, and Action: How Non-profit Organizations use Social Media". Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication.
- Obar, J. A.; Zube, P.; Lampe, C. (2012). "Advocacy 2.0: An analysis of how advocacy groups in the United States perceive and use social media as tools for facilitating civic engagement and collective action". Journal of Information Policy.
- OECD (2012). Lobbyists, Governments and Public Trust, Volume 2. Promoting Integrity through Self-regulation. OECD Publishing. France.
The learning methodology of this course is based on the work that has to be developed by each continuous assessment activity. This continuous assessment is a perfect strategy integrated in the learning process, conceived as a mechanism to learn and give reciprocal feedback.
La Normativa acadèmica de la UOC disposa que el procés d'avaluació es fonamenta en el treball personal de l'estudiant i pressuposa l'autenticitat de l'autoria i l'originalitat dels exercicis fets.
La manca d'originalitat en l'autoria o el mal ús de les condicions en què es fa l'avaluació de l'assignatura és una infracció que pot tenir conseqüències acadèmiques greus.
L'estudiant serà qualificat amb un suspens (D/0) si es detecta manca d'originalitat en l'autoria d'alguna activitat avaluable (pràctica, prova d'avaluació contínua (PAC) o final (PAF), o la que es defineixi al pla docent), sigui perquè ha utilitzat material o dispositius no autoritzats, sigui perquè ha copiat textualment d'internet, o ha copiat d'apunts, de materials, de manuals o d'articles (sense la citació corresponent), d'altres estudiants, o per qualsevol altra conducta irregular.
La qualificació de suspens (D/0) en les qualificacions finals d'avaluació contínua pot comportar l'obligació de fer l'examen presencial per a superar l'assignatura (si hi ha examen i si superar-lo és suficient per a superar l'assignatura segons indiqui el pla docent).
Quan aquesta mala conducta es produeixi durant la realització de les proves d'avaluació finals presencials, l'estudiant pot ser expulsat de l'aula, i l'examinador farà constar tots els elements i la informació relatius al cas.
D'altra banda, aquesta conducta pot donar lloc a la incoació d'un procediment disciplinari i l'aplicació, si escau, de la sanció que correspongui.
La UOC habilitarà els mecanismes que consideri oportuns per a vetllar per la qualitat de les seves titulacions i garantir l'excel·lència i la qualitat del seu model educatiu.
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L'assignatura només es pot aprovar amb el seguiment i la superació de l'avaluació contínua (AC). La qualificació final de l'assignatura és la nota obtinguda a l'AC. |
Nota final d'assignatura: AC
This subject can only be passed through a Continuous Assessment (CA). The final mark on the continuous assessment will be the final mark for the subject. The subject's accreditation formula is as follows: CA