INTRODUCTION TO POLICY ADVOCACY AND LOBBYING

1. INTRODUCTION TO POLICY ADVOCACY AND LOBBYING

2. Henrik Keinicke Head of Business Policy in the Danish Metalworkers Union Business Policy Advocacy and Lobbying Business Policy Advisor to the Chairman WorkingExperience The Danish Building Association Ministry of the Interior and Health The Danish Society of Ingineers The Danish Parliament, The Social Democratic Party Bank Advisor Education Master of Political Science Banking Education

3. About The Danish Metalworkers Union • Old members, old tasks • Founded in 1888 organizing smiths and machinists. • Most important task to ensure members fundamental rights. • Workers being exploited, working long hours all week for little money under dangerouos conditions, living in poverty and disease.

4. AboutThe Danish Metalworkers Union • New members, new tasks • Today the Union has 120,000 skilled members working in mechanics, technology, and IT. • Miserable working conditions has been corrected– for now. • Greatest challenge to combat unemployment og ensure enough jobs - of high quality. • Members dropping out to free ride a huge problem

5. About The Danish Metalworkers Union

6. AboutThe Danish Metalworkers Union

7. About The Danish Metalworkers Union

8. About The Danish Metalworkers Union

9. About The Danish Metalworkers Union Large global differences in workers' worries • For years Danish workers needs has been placed in the top and middle of the hierarchy of needs including self actualization, ego and social need. • Recently Danish workers has become afraid to lose their job and stability, why worries has moved down to include security issues. • In West African countries workers needs is placed at the bottom of the hierarchy of needs including physical and security needs.

10. Your Expectations Sharing your learningneeds with the team • Which expectations do you have for thisseminar? • What do youwish to learn/obtain at the end of this seminar?

11. Objective of the Seminar To Exploreand Discuss: • How to identify which elements that are nessasary to include in a advocacy strategy to be successful, and how to do it in practice. • What to do as a lobbyist when you wish to influence public decision making.

12. Objective of Today To Explore and Discuss: • The concept of policy advocacy and lobbyism, and how to apply it for this seminar. • The political system in your specific countries, and how to show the elements graphically. • The overall long term goal of your advocacy work, and how to formulate it in practice. • How to identify specific problems - policy issues - that currently stands in the way for getting closer to your overall goal, and how to do it in practice.

13. Concept of Policy Advocacy and Lobbying Good reasons to develop policy advocacy in Africa The SARA Project identified three activities that converge to produce change in policies and programs in Africa: • Identifying problems • Finding solutions • Advocacy The SARA Project (Support for Analysis and Research in Africa) was finansed by the U.S. Agency for International Developments Africa Bureau. The Project reviewed the process of policy change in Africa.

14. Concept of Policy Advocacy and Lobbying Special potential for policy advocacy in Africa • Africa is a changing continent with new evolving systems of government. • More opportunities than ever to be involved in political decision making. • Wherever change is needed, advocacy can help you accomplish your goals. • Whether you want more funding for a family planning clinic, new programs to address child malnutrition, laws to make primary schooling accessible or increased attention to a health program within your organization, advocacy can help you accomplish your goals.

15. Concept of Policy Advocacy and Lobbying Lots of Definitions on Activities to Influencing Policy Makers

16. Concept of Policy Advocacy and Lobbying We Will Use the Term ”Policy Advocacy” to Describe: • A wide range of activities to put a problem on the agenda of policy makers in the government, parliament, political parties or the public administration, with the aim of changing public policy. WeWill Usethe Term ”Lobbying” to Describe: • Direct communication with policy makers in government, parliament, political parties or the public administration. Indirect communication through the public or the media is a part of lobbying as complementary activities. Formal and Informal Decision Processes • Policy Advocacy and Lobbying is not limited to open, organized and formal political decisions. • It can also be applied to situations in which decision-making is informal, flexible, blurred or even isolated.

17. What is Policy Advocacy and Lobbying? Who are Policy Makers? • People involved in the formulation of public policies i.e., legislation or regulation. • Members of government, the parliament or regional and local political institutions. • Civil servants and party officials i.e., employees of the public administration, the parliament or political parties . Who Performs Policy Advocacy and Lobbying? • All sorts of political actors representing primarily private interests. • Corporations, business associations, employers' organizations, trade unions, non-profit organizations, individual citizens, societal groups or even publis autorities.

18. What is Policy Advocacy and Lobbying At heart, the effort to influence legislation or political decisions is a power struggle between private interests of gaining access to the states power and limited ressources.

19. What is Policy Advocacy and Lobbyism? The Advocacy Process • Advocacy and Lobbying is NOT an exact science • It is a dynamic process involving an ever-changing set of actors, ideas, agendas and politics. • This diverse proces though can be split into four fluid phases, basing this seminar upon: • Identifying advocacy goal • Selecting issues and solutions • Stakeholder analysis • Executing the message.

20. Impact of the Political System on Advocacy Limitations of international advocacy techniquesin West Africa? • Different political systems – where is the power and influence? • Different political culture – what are the degree of freedom to approach policy makers? What are the rules of behavoir? • Different political resources – which resources are available for the politicians? • Different roles of the media – are the media government controlled or independent ,and which sort of stories does they consider newsworthy? • Different functions of the public administration – do they implement political decisions or do they have political influence?

21. Impact of the Political System on Advocacy The system of government determines lobbying possibilities Independent political institutions in Denmark

22. Workshop: Drawing Your Political Systems Drawing your political systems To get an idea of the lobbying possibilities, take 20 minutes to draw a sketch of your political system: • Consider which institutions, that holds political influence, including the media, the public administration and maybe even the military. • Remember to include all your political institutions. If your have parlamentarian and presidential institutions in your country, include both. Not sure how to answer the question? • Get inspiration from the sketch of the Danish political system.

23. Workshop: Drawing Your Political Systems Sharing your experiences with the team Present the sketches of your political systems for the team, one group at a time. • Have you remembered to include all institutions and actors with political influence? • In what direction does the influence go? • What is the political role your of the media?

24. PLANNING POLICY ADVOCACY:IDENTIFYING AN ADVOCACY GOAL

25. Identifying an Advocacy Goal Identifying overall goal the foundation for effective advocacy Choosing the right path to political change, requires that you have a clear idea about where you wish to end up. Knowing the goal behind your key issues is vital because: • The goal contributes to your legitimacy • The goal expresses the appeal and usefulness of your products or services. • If you don’t tell about your goal yourself, competitors will – in a negative way

26. Identifying an Advocacy Goal Formulating an Advocacy Goal Implies: • That your current key issues provides a clear link to your long term goal. • That your key issues contributes to fulfill your long term goal. • That your long term goal express a desire to make a positive difference in the world. • That your long term goal express what you hope to achieve over the next 10 or 20 years. • That the long term goal express the difference you want to make in the world. • That trade unions must tell about the life, they want for their members long term. • That you are prepared to go through hardship for your long term goal. • That your can picture your overall goal as a holy grail, that you set out on a mission to achieve.

27. Identifying an Advocacy Goal Picture Your Goal as The Quest for the Holy Grail • The Legend of the Holy Grail tells about the cup of Jesus’ Last Supper that contained the blood of Jesus after the Crucifixion. • The quest for the cup is the principal story in the medieval tales of the Knights of King Arthur. • Picture your goal as a grail, that you set out to achieve. • The grail stands for the result that you want to bring home for your members.

28. Identifying an Advocacy Goal Examples of Advocacy Goals Advocacy goal of an NGO: Our goal is to reduce under-five childhood malnutrition in order to reduce child mortality and morbidity and improve child development. Advocacy goal of the Danish Metalworkers Union: The goal of the business policy is to secure job-safety for our members through creating skilled and well paid jobs, that allows our members and their families.a life free from economic worries. The goal must be easy to understand A good Advocacy Goal does not require a long technical explanation. If you need to explain, keep it clear and short: “One of six children in our country dies before the age of five because of under- or malnourishment. Research shows that fortifying salt with iodine will reduce infant deaths and improve childrens development and will cost only 2 to 5 cents perperson per year.”

29. Workshop: Creating an Advocacy Goal Creating an advocacy goal (If you are allready pretty sure of your goal, go directly to question number 4) • Write down 5-10 key words to discuss between you afterwards(find inspiration in the hand out list) • Try and formulate a goal on the basis of the keywords • Test the general appeal of your goal by answering these two questions: • Will the goal attract the support of many people? • Do people care about the goal deeply enough to take action? • Test the general understandability of your draft goal by answering these questions: • What does that mean? • Why is this good and relevant for your members and for society as a whole? • Why is that? • Adjust your goal, so it better answers these questions

30. To find the keywords you can ask yourself: • Why does the organization exist? • What cause do the organization fight for? • How would the world be without you? • What is goodabout the products og services that you provide? • What is the organizationsraisond'être? • Who are we? • Where do you come from? • Where are your going? • What is the story behind the organization? • How did the idea for the organizationcome to life - and what was the keyactors in realizing the idea? • Who was essential in establizing the organization - and how has theycontributed? • Why did the organizationemerge at precisely that point in time? • Which unusualaspects did the processinclude? • What was the personal motivations to start the organization? • Why are you passionateaboutwhat your organization do? • Do you still have the same starting point as in the beginning? Why / Why not? Workshop: Creating Advocacy Goals Annex to step 1 To find the keywords try and ask yourself some of these questions:

31. Importance of an Advocacy Goal Example Before you present your Advocacy Goals, I will tell you a little story about the importance of knowing the reason for your existence, and what sets you apart.

32. Workshop: Creating Advocacy Goals Sharing your experiences with the team Submit your advocacy goals for the team, one group at a time: • How is your overall goal relevant for the members? • Do you think an ordinary member can relate to the goal? • Do you think an ordinary member easily can understand your goal? • If not, then how could you refrase your goal to better adress ordinary members?

33. The Quest for Political Change Now that we are clear about your goals, we can start the quest for the holy grail

34. Identifying Policy Issues Definition of policy issues Because policy advocacy is about • Putting a problem on the agenda of policy makers • Changing public policy Issues must • Require policy action • Can be addressed by policy makers

35. Identifying Policy Issues Linking issues to public policy To influence policy making, the perception of a wrong is not enough. If public policy is to be a solution, the wrong must be defined as a cause that policy makers can address. Example • You might perceive that obesity is wrong because it harms individuals, but individual solutions cannot be legislated. • However, if you define obesity as a public health problem, you can relate obesity to public health standards or to medical research in the causes of disease. • Those are problems with broad societal significance that can be addressed by policy makers.

36. Identifying Policy Issues Getting the diagnosis right How one understands and diagnoses a problem affects the policy solutions put forward to address the issue(s). To make a clear diagnosis, one has to distinguish the symptoms or effects of a problem describing an existing situation and tracing what is occurring back to its root cause to identify the actual problem. Example • Even though health authorities define obesity as a health problem, the numbers of overweight and obese people in many countries continue to rise. Why, you wonder, are people fat despite health warnings? • Your question redefines the problem, thereby revealing different potential solutions. By focusing on the experience of people in everyday life, you expose another set of conditions relevant to obesity, behavioral issues such as eating habits, physiological issues such as genetics, cultural issues such as food preferences, economic conditions such as food costs, and economic interests such as food industry profits. • This sets the scene for pointing to solutions involving consumers, educators, businesses, and industries rather than healthcare providers.

37. Identifying Policy Issues Defining the problem Problem definition (of the root causes) is the key to engage different people in the issue, including creating conflict or consensus on the matter. The definition of a problem is to a large degree subjective and takes differences of perception into account. Some peoples problem is others acceptable status quo. Example • Narrow and exclusive problem definition freezes possibility and invites competing solutions. • Broad and inclusive definition imagines change and invites solution by a coalition. • Purposeful rhetoric (who am I? whom do I address? how do I define the problem? how do others define it?) brings your assumptions and values to light, creates awareness of difference, and enables negotiation. • No matter how messy the process becomes, your action in a policy process is directed by your definition of the problem.

38. Identifying Policy Issues Methods to identify policy issues Several methods can be applied to identify policy issues: • Spontaneous generation of ideas • Cautious and deliberate study of issues • Using data and research to uncover suspected or even unknown issues and provide a comparison with issues • Or a combination of these methods No “right” method to identify policy issues… • Depends on resources, political recipients and the present recognition of the issue. • Some sort of data must be included though to provide some objectivity

39. Identifying Policy Issues …But data and research will always be of great relevance • Data and research is important if you want to attract attention to a problem that is not widely recognized, as it provides “objective” arguments. Data and research is less important, if the problem is allready widely recognized. • The policy process is based on research and data, where some options over other choices. • Politics is a negotiation. To get heard you must translate data and research into information and proposals in an understandable way. • This way, facts can be made to “speak” the language of policy makers, private interests, the public and the media.

40. Identifying Policy Issues Short of ressources to get hold of data? Use external data Use other actors with access to information and the same interests - or at least not contradictory interests – to deliver data. At the same time you build up network. For instance: • Trade unions • Employers organizations, Business associations or Corporations • Friendly politicians or public servants with access to information • NGO’s and other similar organizations • Public researchers and other experts • International organizations • Partners (for instance use LO/FTF to use the free informationline of the EU Commission) • Allways remember to give something back.

41. Identifying Policy Issues Short of ressources to get hold of data? Use internal data Use members and shop stewarts to deliver data. At the same time you are securing the understanding of the people you are representing and getting information about their problems. For instance: • Surveys • Samples • Phone calls • Focus groups • House calls • Internal statistic etc. • Think backwards from the answers you want, then make valid questions. • Register informants for documentation and cases: People beats facts and numbers.

42. Importance of Issue Prioritisation Adressing peoples everyday worries To secure legitimacy, issues must relate to peoples worries and experiences. Issues that people have no personally experience withare difficult to put on the agenda. Examples In Denmark issues as the quality of hospitals, conditions for the elderly, the level of taxation, immigration and integration and the level and seriousness of crime are high on the public agenda, as most people can relate to these issues. In addition unemployment have rocketed up the worry barometer as more and more people know someone who loses their job, or lose their job themselves.

43. Identifying Policy Issues Example: Different conceptions of overpopulation • Even though social authorities define overpopulation as an economic and social problem, the population numbers are increasing. Why you wonder, do people have more children despite warnings? • By focusing on the experience of people in everyday life, you expose another set of conditions relevant to overpopulation, behavioral issues such as low use of contraception among men though men being aware of family planning in general, low knowledge of male sterilization in particular and cultural issues such as men desiring large families etc. • This sets the scene for pointing to solutions involving the families themselves, the local community, public and NGO educators etc. rather than only contraception and health providers. • The more narrow you define the problem, for instance as only being about contraceptives or the wish for large families, the more you invite competing solutions. • The more broadly you define it, for instance as education and knowledge, the more consensus become possible.

44. Work Shop: Identifying Policy Issues Identify your key policy issues Take 10 minutes to identify key issues for policy advocacy • Brainstorm which problems or issues, that currently stand in the way to fulfill your overall goal, that you allready have identified. • Write all the issues or problem down on the white paper. • Select the 3 most issues, write them down on the yellow paper. • Having selected 3 issues, identify what the desired state is for each issue (i.e.the outcome sought)? Remember: issues must be political and defining • The problem must be linked to public policy • The problem must point to certain root causes, that points to certain solutions and create polarizing or consensus towards other stakeholders.

45. Work Shop: Identifying Policy Issues Sharing your experiences with the team Submit your policy issues for the team, one group at a time: • How are the issues linked to public policy? • Which root causes does the issues imply? • Do the root causes set the scene for pointing to certain solutions? • If not, then how can you refrase them to policy issues?