Public Affairs

Public issues such as vaccination, online privacy, and climate change are fiercely debated in society and have far-reaching consequences for our everyday lives. Several actors attempt to influence such debates on how these issues are regulated, either under the radar through lobbying or out in the open, through other public affairs strategies. Digital media plays a crucial roles here because it influences this discourse, is strategically used by involved actors, and mirrors positions in society. In this course, we study the interplay between private organizations (e.g., corporations), politics (e.g., legislators), and the media in shaping and strategically influencing the public debate and legal regulation of issues. To do so, we zoom into the professional and academic field of public affairs and lobbying and study how organizations attempt to influence public policy through their communication strategies. 

1.    Students know, navigate, and assess the current concepts and theories of public affairs from the fields of strategic and political communication, management studies, and political science.
2.    Students are able to critically assess the normative and ethical implications of public affairs in theory and practice and evaluate its conduct from a societal perspective. 
3.    Students are able to analyze a complex issue from multiple standpoints by using and applying theory and models from the fields of strategic, public, and political communication. 

In presenza

Teaching will include a series of lectures, case studies, workshops and also informs about the basic principles of the political law-making processes.

Attendance encouraged

100 % closed book exam

Required material 

• De Bruycker, I., & McLoughlin, A. (2021). The public affairs plan: Seven steps to success rooted in science and practice. Journal of Public Affairs, 21(3), e2567.
• Dür, A., Bernhagen, P., & Marshall, D. (2015). Interest group success in the European Union: When (and why) does business lose?. Comparative Political Studies, 48(8), 951-983.
• Lock, I. (2020). Debating glyphosate: A macro perspective on the role of strategic communication in forming and monitoring a global issue arena using inductive topic modelling. International Journal of Strategic Communication, 14(4), 223-245.
• Lock, I., & Davidson, S. (2023). Argumentation strategies in lobbying: toward a typology. Journal of Communication Management.
• Mahoney, C. (2007). Lobbying success in the United States and the European Union. Journal of Public Policy, 27(1), 35-56.