2011 Virginia Summer School on Interest Group Politics:
Global Advocacy

July 4-11, 2011

This one-week summer school included lectures, seminars, readings, an in-depth case analysis and PhD research discussions and consultations with visiting faculty. The first day focused on the state of the literature on advocacy on Global Issues in the US and the EU with a focus on Advocacy Strategies. The first day Frank Baumgartner and Christine Mahoney presented their work on lobbying and focused on advocacy on global issues in the US. The second day turned to advocacy before one of the most controversial global institutions: the World Trade Organization (WTO) with an emphasis on Venue Shopping. The morning involved a seminar by Jan Beyers focused on research on interest group targeting of the WTO. The afternoon session we discussed an in-depth case analysis to explore the linkages between lobbying the US, the EU, the WTO and national governments in the Global South – the case of global advocacy to reform the Global Trade Regime. The third and fourth days focused on Network & Coalition Building, Agenda Setting & Influence with seminars by Kathryn Sikkink and Jutta Joachim respectively. In the afternoon of each of these days participating students had the opportunity to discuss their research with all the visiting faculty. During the afternoons working sessions, participants presented and discussed their own research and receive constructive feedback. In addition to this academic program, summer school participants discussed their work with Congressman Tom Perriello, D-VA (TBC), had a field trip to Washington DC and enjoyed a trip to Montecello and Virginia Wine Country.

Organizing Committee:

Prof. dr. C. Mahoney
University of Virginia

Prof. dr. J. Beyers
University of Antwerp

Phd Candidate T. Verboven
University of Antwerp

Katharine Meyer
University of Virginia