The Assistant Professor of Political Science and Policy Studies, along with 2023 graduates, Sara Arora and Nicole Cason, recently published a peer-reviewed article describing a form of lobbying they call, “show and tell advocacy.”
Aaron Sparks, assistant professor of political science and policy studies, along with Sara Arora ’23 and Nicole Cason ’23 recently published a peer-reviewed article describing a form of lobbying they call, “show and tell advocacy.”
Sparks’ and colleagues paper, “Show and Tell Advocacy” was published over the summer in the Journal Frontiers in Political Science. The article is available open-access, in order to reach audiences beyond academia working on advocacy.
The article employs three case studies examining how environmental advocates bring policymakers out to location, in order to show them what type of policy change is needed to address a problem. For example, Dave Willis of the Soda Mountain wilderness council brings policymakers, staff, and journalists into the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument in Southern Oregon to show them why the fragile ecosystem needs additional protections.
Sparks is the coordinator of the policy studies major. In his research, he frequently works with Elon students through his undergraduate research lab. For more, visit the Sparks Lab webpage.