The course aims to provide students with theoretical knowledge and practical tools to understand political influence techniques and lobbying strategies, with a specific focus on the context of the digital society. The objective is to develop critical skills in assessing how actors, organized interests, and digital networks interact in public decision-making processes, and how to design effective advocacy and lobbying campaigns within the framework of national, European, and international regulation.
Curriculum
teacher profile teaching materials
Subsequently, lobbying tactics and strategies will be analysed, with particular attention to digital lobbying practices, before addressing the crucial issue of access to decision-making venues and the modalities through which influence may be exerted on policy-making processes.
Traditional lectures will be complemented by guest contributions from professional lobbyists, who will present real-world advocacy and lobbying cases. These sessions will offer students the opportunity to interact directly with practitioners in order to better understand the operational dynamics that characterise interest representation activities and the ways in which they are carried out in practice.
Pritoni A., Interessi, Lobbying e Democrazia. Perché le lobby italiane sono un bene per la qualità democratica, Milano, Mondadori 2026.
Carro M. e Di Mario, Digital lobbying. Gestire strategicamente le relazioni istituzionali attraverso smart data e strumenti digitali, Roma, Carocci, 2021.
Programme
The course begins with an introduction to the main theoretical concepts – such as interest, pressure and lobbying – before examining the different types of interest groups and their modes of action.Subsequently, lobbying tactics and strategies will be analysed, with particular attention to digital lobbying practices, before addressing the crucial issue of access to decision-making venues and the modalities through which influence may be exerted on policy-making processes.
Traditional lectures will be complemented by guest contributions from professional lobbyists, who will present real-world advocacy and lobbying cases. These sessions will offer students the opportunity to interact directly with practitioners in order to better understand the operational dynamics that characterise interest representation activities and the ways in which they are carried out in practice.
Core Documentation
Pritoni A., Politica e interessi. Il lobbying nelle democrazie contemporanee, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2021 (capitoli 1,2,4,6,7 per i frequentanti, manuale completo per i non frequentanti).Pritoni A., Interessi, Lobbying e Democrazia. Perché le lobby italiane sono un bene per la qualità democratica, Milano, Mondadori 2026.
Carro M. e Di Mario, Digital lobbying. Gestire strategicamente le relazioni istituzionali attraverso smart data e strumenti digitali, Roma, Carocci, 2021.
Attendance
Attendance is not compulsory. Attending students will have the opportunity to sit the written test at the end of the course.Type of evaluation
Attending students (with at least 70% attendance) will be required to: – take part in a group project involving the in-class presentation of a lobbying or advocacy case study agreed upon with the lecturer; – sit a written test consisting of three open-ended questions based on selected chapters from the course readings. Non-attending students will instead be assessed through an oral examination covering the entire syllabus.