Abstract

Many of our most pressing policy problems require actions by present generations to avoid long-term consequences for future generations. But how to incorporate future generations into our policy debates? This talk considers the practice and potential of organised interests – interest groups, think tanks, social movements – to fulfil this advocacy task, using evidence from policy submissions, media coverage and legislative speech. Can organised interests fulfil this advocacy role? What might stand in the way? Do politicians pay attention to this advocacy?

Short Bio

Darren Halpin is Professor of Political Science at the School of Politics and IR, the Australian National University. His work focusses on organised interests (interest groups, thinks tanks, corporations and lobbyists) and political representation, and the connections between the two. He has explored these themes empirically in studies on Australia, the US, and Europe, using diverse methods spanning qualitative case-studies, network analysis, and more recently computational text-as-data approaches. His research has attracted competitive funding from the Australian Research Council, UK Economic and Social Research Council, the Leverhulme Trust and the British Academy. His latest book The New Entrepreneurial Advocacy (Oxford University Press, 2021) examines the role of Silicon Valley corporate elites in US national politics (with Anthony Nownes).

What is an AIAS Seminar?

The AIAS Seminar Series is a session of seminars held by the AIAS fellows, AIAS Visiting or Tandem Fellows or by other speakers proposed by the fellows. In each seminar, a fellow will present and discuss her/his current research and work-in-progress to an interdisciplinary audience for 30 minutes, closing off with 30 minutes for questions, comments and discussion.

All seminars are in-person and held in English. To attend online, please contact us at info@aias.au.dk by 9:00am on the day of the seminar as the latest to request a link.