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Non-state actors and international organizations: public pressure, lobbying and policy-making

Vak
2012-2013

Non-state actors and international organizations: public pressure, lobbying and policy-making

Course description

This course introduces the various ways in which non-state actors engage with international organizations. Non-state actors include businesses (f. e. Shell, ING, Wal-Mart), developmental NGOs (like Oxfam, Action Aid), labour, human rights and environmental activist organizations (like Amnesty, Greenpeace) and scientists (such as climate change specialists). International organizations include amongst others the United Nations institutions, the World Trade Organization and the Bretton Woods institutions. The course investigates in particular the lobbying efforts, campaigning and public pressure practices and policy-making roles of non-state actors in global governance.

The course is based on two core premises. First, engagement between non-state actors and international organizations is a two-way street. Non-state actors seek influence within international organizations to advance their interests, but international organizations also seek to attract various non-state actors in their organizations in order to advance their own agendas. Second, in their efforts at influencing policy-makers, non-state actors have to choose in their strategies between different levels of governance as possible sites of influence. In a Multi-Level Governance world, international organizations are but among many fora of non-state actor pressuring, lobbying and policy-making.

Accordingly, the course focuses on the following set of analytical questions: How and why do non-state actors adopt particular influencing strategies towards international organizations? How can we measure the effectiveness of these various strategies? How and why do international organizations include particular non-state actors in policy-making and governance? What is the consequence of this for the legitimacy of global policy-making? How and why do non-state actors choose between different forms of cross-border governance in order to advance their interests?

Course objectives

  • To familiarize students with the evolving shape of global governance

  • To provide students with an overview of contemporary research on non-state actor engagement with international organizations

    *To provide insight in the evolution, effectiveness and legitimacy of contemporary engagement of non-state actors with international organizations - To learn to reflect critically and write academically on various non-state actor strategies towards international organizations

  • To further develop skills with regard to substantive discussion of issues of global governance and interest group strategies and develop and defend informed positions with regard to academically and societally relevant questions regarding the involvement of non-state actors in global governance

Timetable

Monday 10-9-2012 09:00 12:00 CDH-SCHOUW A0.01
Monday 17-9-2012 09:00 12:00 CDH-SCHOUW A0.01
Monday 24-9-2012 09:00 12:00 CDH-SCHOUW A0.01
Monday 1-10-2012 09:00 12:00 CDH-SCHOUW A0.01
Monday 8-10-2012 09:00 12:00 CDH-SCHOUW A0.01
Monday 15-10-2012 09:00 12:00 CDH-SCHOUW A0.01
Monday 22-10-2012 09.00 12.00 CDH-SCHOUW A0.01

Mode of instruction

Lectures and class discussions

Assessment method

Take home exam (35% of final grade), research paper (55%) and class participation (10%).

Reading list/Literature

Selected articles and internet sources

Blackboard

Instructor uses Blackboard. This page is available a week before the course commences.

Registration

Via USIS

Contact information

Dr. Luc Fransen
l.w.fransen@fsw.leidenuniv.nl

Remarks / Preparation for first session

The first session we will discuss readings that will be announced in time on the Blackboard page.