Pressure groups and stakeholders  (20519)

Degree/study: Bachelor's Degree in Advertising and Public Relations
Year: Third
Term: Third
Number of ECTS credits: 4 credits
Hours of studi dedication: 100 hours
Teaching language or languages: Catalan / Spanish
Teaching Staff: Francesc Ponsa i Herrera

1. Presentation of the subject

This course's goal is the study and analysis of the management tools used in the relation between organizations and their key audiences (authorities, regulators, trade unions, activists and etc). Especially, it focuses on analyzing lobbying techniques in different scenarios and knowledge creation by think tanks. Therefore, this course is part of what is known as the public affairs or, in other words, institutional relations.

 

2. Competences to be attained

General skills

· Analysis skills.

· Critical work assessment and self-assessment.

· Autonomous work.

• Team work skills.

 

Specific skills

• Targeting and analyzing the techniques and resources used to influence public opinion.
• Locating prevailing public discourses and understanding their construction and assimilation processes.

· Identifying the functions of public discourse authors.

· Knowledge and capacity for designing strategies to influence public opinion.

· Knowledge of the different idea-catalyst typologies and performance.

• Knowledge of the lobby running: legal regulation, lobbyism and ethical rules.

 

3. Contents

Concepts and theories

1.      Idea marketing. How to influence public opinion.

2.      Pressure groups and public relations.

3.      Lobbies. Influencing the policy makers. Elements, typology, communicative dimension and strategic relations with public authorities.

4.      Think tanks. Idea creation. Concept, functions and typology.

5.      Advocacy tanks. Conceptualization and communication strategies.

6.      Idea-catalysts and democracy: foundation of the political parties.

 

4. Assessment

90% of the final mark will come from a project. The other 10% will depend on the students' participation and attitude in the classroom.

The project
Students will have to do two in-group projects. The first one will involves designing and carrying out an action plan -based on lobbyism and idea marketing techniques- enabling to place an issue on the public agenda.

The other project will involve a national think tank analysis, including its running, organization, communication elements and influence capacity.

•A)    How to place an issue on the public agenda

The first project entails designing a campaign aimed at placing an issue on the public agenda. It must take lobbyism and idea marketing as a starting point. Even though it is an experimental and fictitious exercise, a real placement of the issue on the public agenda will be highly valued.

Firstly, the issue to place on the public and media agenda will have to be well defined, as well as the intention why it is wanted to come to public notice. For example, a safety issue (the situation of the Rumanian gypsies in Catalonia: expulsion or integration?), an economy issue (the infrastructure investments of the Spanish Government in Catalonia: compliance or deficit?) and etc. Issue suitability and originality will be highly valued.

Secondly, a current status of the issue must be presented, including the present situation, the legal parameters (legislation on the issue), legitimate institutions (Government, Generalitat, Town Councils...).

Once this is done, the project core must be tackled by designing the strategies to develop in order to place the issue on the media debate and to achieve a favourable change of opinion. In relation to this, students must do an acting calendar, describe the strategies to carry out, define the required budget and etc.

•A)    Analysis of a think tank

The second project entails drawing up a detailed analysis of a national think tank, including its running, organization, communication elements and influence capacity.

Firstly, the think tank must be contextualized within a model and its typology and main characteristics must be established.

In this project, it will be important to contact the institution, in order to know its structure and field of influence in deep. Students must analyze the academic profile of its members (college teachers, researchers, graduates...) and their media appearances and public influence. As well, the financing, budget and relation to other think tanks will have to be researched.

 

5. Bibliography and teaching resources

5.1. Basic bibliography

CASTILLO, A. "Los grupos de presión ante la sociedad de la comunicación". Málaga: Servicio de Publicaciones de la Universidad de Málaga, 2001.

McCOMBS, M. "Estableciendo la agenda. El impacto de los medios en la opinión pública y el conocimiento". Barcelona: Paidós Comunicación, 2006.

XIFRA, J. i PONSA, F. "El marketing de las ideas. Los 'think tanks' en España y en el mundo". Barcelona: Niberta, 2009.

XIFRA, J. "Els lobbies". Barcelona: UOC, 2009

 

5.2. Complementary bibliography

 

ABELSON, D. "Do Think Tanks Matter? Assessing the Impact of Public Policy Institutes". Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2002.

-, "A Capitol Idea. Think Tanks & US Foreign Policy". Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2006.

AIRA, T. "Màrqueting polític: l'art de guanyar eleccions". Barcelona: Trípodos, 2008.

BASSOLS, M. "El llenguatge dels polítics. Anàlisi del cas català". Vic: Eumo Editorial, 2007.

BOURDIEU, P. "Sobre la televisión". Barcelona: Editorial Anagrama, 2007.

BULMER, M. "Social Science Research and Government". Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1987.

CASTELLS, M. (ed.). "La sociedad red: una visión global". Madrid: Alianza editorial, 2006.

CHILDS, H. "Public opinion: Nature, Formation and Role". Toronto/Nova York/ Londres/Princeton: D. van Nostrand, 1965.

HABERMAS, J. "Historia y crítica de la opinión pública. La transformación esructural de la vida pública". Barcelona: Editorial Gustavo Gili, SL, 1981.

LASWELL, H. "Language of politics". Massachusetts, MIT Press, 1965.

LINDBLOM, C. "Politics and Markets". Nova York: Basic Books, 1977.

LIJPHART, A. "Las democracias contemporaneas". Barcelona: Ariel, 1987.

LIPPMANN, W. "La opinión pública". Madrid: Langre S.L., 2003.

MAQUIAVEL. "El príncep". Barcelona: Edicions 62, 1996.

MALTESE, J.A. "Spin Control. The White House Office of Communications and the Management of Presidential News". Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 1994.

McGANN, J. "Think Tanks and Policy Advice in the United States. Academics, advisors and advocates". New York: Routledge Research in American Politics, 2007.

-, "2008. The global Go To Think Tanks. The Leading Public Policy Research Organizations in the World". Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania, 2008.

-, "2009. The global Go To Think Tanks. The Leading Public Policy Research Organizations in the World". Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania, 2009.

-, "European Think Tanks: Regional and Trans-Atlantic Trends. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania, 2009.

NOELLE-NEUMANN, E. "La espiral del silencio. Opinión pública: nuestra piel social". Barcelona: Paidós Comunicación, 2003.

REQUEJO, F. (dir.), Els Think tanks a Catalunya. Departament de Ciències Polítiques i Socials de la UPF. Barcelona, 1999.

SALMON, C. "Storytelling. La máquina de fabricar historias y formatear las mentes". Barcelona: Ediciones Península, 2008.

TELLO BENEITEZ, M. "Guía de Think tanks en España". Madrid: Fundación Ciudadanía y Valores, 2008.

TORREGROSSA, J.R. i CRESPO, E. "Estudios básicos de la psicología social". Barcelona, Hora: 1988.

XIFRA, J. "Lobbying. Cómo influir eficazmente en las decisiones de las Instituciones Públicas". Barcelona: Ediciones Gestión 2000, 1998.

-, "Els think tanks". Barcelona: Editorial UOC, 2008.

 

6. Metodology

Theory explanations will be complemented with practical exercises to do in class until the seventh week. From then on, students will present their projects and debate the subject's contents. The use of new technologies will be highly valued.

 

7. Planning of activities

	Theoretical session	Practical session
Week 1	Presentation of the course.	Introduction to idea marketing. Analysis of specific examples.
Week 2	Lobbies. Concept, elements and typology.	Analysis of different real lobbyism cases.
Week 3	Lobbies. Communicative dimension. Strategic relations with the public authorities.	None.
Week 4	Think tanks. Concept, history, functions and typology.	None.
Week 5	Think tanks. Structure and financing. Model comparative.	Talk by a Catalan think tank representative.
Week 6	Advocacy tanks. Political party foundation.	Talk by political parties foundations representatives.
Week 7	Tutoring sessions with the groups about the project.	Tutoring sessions with the groups about the project.
Week 8	Tutoring sessions with the groups about the project.	Projects presentations.
Week 9	Projects presentations.	Projects presentations.
Week 10	Projects presentations.	Projects presentations.