N_Lob Lobbying

University of Finance and Administration
Summer 2025
Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 3 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).
Guaranteed by
Ing. Petr Mach, Ph.D.
Department of Economics and Management – Departments – University of Finance and Administration
Contact Person: Bc. Kateřina Konupková
Prerequisites
There are no prerequisits. However, students who enroll for this course are supposed to know elementary microeconomics, the theory of management and marketing and the basics of the legislative process.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is offered to students of any study field.
Course objectives
Lobbying, the promotion of interests through persuading politicians and other public officials, has become an integral part of the legislative process in a democratic state. Some companies lobby to promote their commercial interests, some non-government organisations lobby to promote their non-commercial interests.
On the one hand, the course is intended for future or present managers, for public/government relations workers, and for professional lobbyists, who can be in a position to lobby for a given legislative issue from which they would benefit. For these people, the course is a manual on how to lobby as well as an encounter with the theories that explain the phenomenon of lobbying.
On the other hand, the course is intended for the other side of a lobbying contract - future or present public officials who might be lobbied, as well as for journalists, political scientists, and police investigators who might come in touch with lobbing in their work. The course will help them understand the principles of lobbying, why it exists, when it is in line with the law and good manners and when it is over the edge.
The course integrates relevant theories of economics, management, ethics and philosophy, mathematics, law, and political science and into a comprehensive theory of lobbying.
Learning outcomes
Upon the completion of the course, the student will be able to define, understand and explain the basic principles and causes of lobbying and fundraising. Students will be able to apply basic managerial methods to lobbying and describe the legislative process. Students will be able to explain the concept of Pareto efficiency in connection with lobbying and explain the principles of risk and risk management of a lobbying project. Students will understand the logic of collective action and the problem of free riding and apply game theory to lobbying.
Syllabus
  • 1. What is lobbying 2. Lobbying management 3. The political and constitutional system of the Czech republic 4. Lobbying and corruption 5. Lobbying and ethics 6. Lobbying and decision making under risk 7. The theory of collective action 8. Lobbying and public choice theory 9. Rent-seeking. 10. Lobbing and game theory 11. Regulation of lobbying 12. Fundraising
Literature
    required literature
  • MACH, Petr. Lobbing. 1st ed. Praha: VŠFS, 2021, 132 pp. ISBN 978-80-7408-216-0. URL info
  • Poslanecká sněmovna. Proces přijímání zákonů. https://www.psp.cz/sqw/hp.sqw?k=173
    recommended literature
  • PRŮŠA Jan a Pavel RYSKA. Korupce. Ekonomie vs. Mýty. 1. vyd. Praha: Centrum pro ekonomiku a politiku. 2013. 104 s. ISBN 978-80-87806-03-6.
  • MULLER, Karel, LABOUTKOVÁ, Šárka, VYMĚTAL, Petr a kol. Lobbing v moderních demokraciích. 1. vyd. Praha: Grada Publishing, a.s. 2010. 256 s. ISBN 978-80-247-3165-0.
  • Úřad vlády České republiky. Oddělení boje s korupcí. Vládní koncepce v boji s korupcí – vždy aktuální. Plnění úkolů Strategie vlády v boji proti korupci.
  • Thomson, Stuart. Public Affairs in Practice : A Practical Guide to Lobbying, Kogan Page, 2006. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/vsfscz/detail.action?docID=288523. Dostupné na https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/vsfscz/home.
  • TAJTÁKOVÁ, Mária a kol. Marketing neziskových organizácií, športu a kultury. 1. vyd. Trenčín: Vysoká škola manažmentu v Trenčíně. 2016. 194 a. ISBN 978-80-8186-407-4.
  • WAWROSZ, Petr. Korupce v redistribučním prostředí - Česká republika, Evropa, svět. Praha: Národohospodářský ústav Josefa Hlávky, 2016. 363 s. ISBN 978-80-88018-07-0. https://is.muni.cz/do/rect/habilitace/1456/240882/habilitacni_prace/Wawrosz_Korupce_v_re
  • OECD. Lobbyists, Governments and Public Trust. Volume 3. Impl ementi ng the OECD Principl es for Transparency and Integrity in Lobbying. OECD Publishing. 2014. 228 s. ISBN 978-92-64-21421-7.
  • BITONTI, Alberto a Phil HARRIS, ed. Lobbying in Europe: public affairs and the lobbying industry in 28 EU countries. London : Palgrave Macmillan. 2017. 368 s. ISBN 978-1-137-55256-3.
Teaching methods
The 12-lecture cycle will take place in the full-time form of the study and will be supplemented by practical examples of lobbying and fundraising practice as well as discussions on specific topics. Interactive teaching methods will focus on gaining the ability of students to present and defend their opinion, insight, ability to argue. Students on the distance learning form of study are supposed to attend an interactive online tutorial. They study individually using the textbook and the recorded videos of the lectures. The combined form of study - 4 blocks of study requires continuous preparation of students for mass consultations, which will focus on practical applications in order to optimally use the knowledge of the given subject in practice. The student acquires professional skills mainly through his / her own processing, case studies, and preparation of partial presentations. Learning outcomes of the course unit The course is based on critical thinking focused on presentation, communication, and argumentative ability, active approach to the world, open access to ethical discussions. Emphasis is placed on accurate thinking based on verified qualitative and quantitative data, on the ability to work with information, with trend information and presentation systems.
Assessment methods
The course ends with credit

Daily study:
Credit is given upon
A) the fulfillment of active attendance of min. 75 % (including active participation)
B) the preparation and presentation of a lobbying project
C) Online credit test

Combined study:

The credit is given upon
A) The fulfillment of active participation of min. 50% lessons
B) The preparation/presentation of a lobbying/fundraising project
C) Online credit test

Requirements for ISP students:
-The preparation of a lobbying project
-Online credit test
Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
The course can also be completed outside the examination period.
Information on the extent and intensity of the course: 12 hodin KS/semestr.
Teacher's information
Petr Mach, Ph.D. teaches the courses of microeconomics and macroeconomics bot at the bachelor and master's level and the course of Monetary theory and policy (in Czech) at Master's level. He worked as an advisor to the President of the Czech Republic and between 2014-2017 he was a member of the European Parliament.
The course is also listed under the following terms Summer 2011, summer 2012, Summer 2013, Summer 2014, Summer 2015, Summer 2016, Summer 2017, Summer 2018, Summer 2019, Summer 2020, Summer 2021, Summer 2022, Summer 2023, Summer 2024.
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