The Summer School on Interest Group Politics << http://www.ua. ac.be/sgig/ summerschool > http://www.ua. ac.be/sgig/ summerschool > is a new initiative of the ECPR Standing Group on Interest Groups . Three schools, to be organized in 2010-2011-2012, aim to provide students of political science and public administration sound knowledge about these organized interests and their impact on public policy making.

The Department of Political Science, Faculty of Political and Social Sciences of the University of Antwerp will host the first summer school in 2010, from 30 June – 8 July.
It focuses on the population ecology of interest representation as well as the professionalization of interest groups. The proximity to an important international venue when it comes to interest groups – Brussels - enables to include practitioners and to bring a visit to the EU institutions in Brussels.

The course includes lectures and discussions led by well-known scholars in the field. Examples are drawn from both national and European politics. Furthermore, attendees receive constructive feedback on their own research on aspects of interest groups politics. Invited scholars for the 2010 school include David Lowery , William Maloney , Dirk De Bievre, Arlo Poletti, Anne Rasmussen, Caelesta Poppelaars and Jan Beyers.

More information on the 2010 summer school can be found on the website < http://www.ua. ac.be/sgig/ summerschool > http://www.ua. ac.be/sgig/ summerschool < http://www.ua. ac.be/sgig/ summerschool > . Online registration is open till March 31.

You can also contact the Summer School organizing committee directly at <sgig.ecpr@ua. ac.htm> sgig.ecpr@ua. ac.be <mailto: sgig.ecpr@ua. ac.be >

If you know MA or PhD students who might be interested, we would be delighted if you could inform them on this event.

Kind regards,
Jan Beyers