ENHANCEMENT OF THE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT IN … III/3 Policy Advocacy.pdf · • Character-defining...

ENHANCEMENT OF THE

BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT IN

THE SOUTHERN

MEDITERRANEAN

Conducting advocacy

research and communication

Capacity Building Seminar Ansgar Cordier

Beirut Sep 14th, 2016

EBESM Project 2

Conducting advocacy


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What is advocacy?

• All lobbying is advocacy, but not all advocacy

is lobbying

• Lobbying = approach law makers directly on an

issue of specific, even limited interest ;

Conducting advocacy


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What is advocacy?

General definition:

• Supporting an idea, a concept, an action

etc. and attempting to persuade others of

the importance of that cause;

Conducting advocacy


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What is advocacy?

• A group effort focused on changing particular

public policies

• Effort to influence government policies in a

open and transparent manner;

• Representing the views of members of a

particular group by making their positions known

to legislators, regulators and other policymakers

Conducting advocacy


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A very short history of:

Advocacy

Conducting advocacy


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17th to 18th century:

Liberalism

Conducting advocacy


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19th to 20th century:

Imperialism

Conducting advocacy


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20th to 21st century:

Globalization

Conducting advocacy


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What advocacy is NOT:

• Obtain preferential treatment for one company,

business sector (at the expense of others,

example: NRA);

• Solve day-to-day business problems or private

disputes of members;

• Policy advocacy is not to be equated with

unethical financial backdoor practices to

influence politicians

Conducting advocacy


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Classical issues of advocacy

• Governmental policies;

• Court decisions;

• Executive decrees and orders;

• Regulations;

• Legislative acts;

• Political party positions

Conducting advocacy


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Classical issues of private sector-driven

advocacy

• Starting a business: Ease of establishing a

business, availability of credit and capital, support

for SMEs etc.;

• Running a business: Taxes, corporate

governance, labor law issues, labor costs, non-

wage labor costs;

• International competition: fair competition

legislation, enforcement of contracts, trade rules

Conducting advocacy


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Advocacy is often in conflict with the “official”,

i.e. governmental stand on specific issues:

•Business-friendly taxation: inheritance tax (GER)

•Trade-conducive tariff and duty legislation: TTIP

•De-bureaucratization of administrative procedures;

Conducting advocacy


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Key audiences of advocacy:

those who influence public policies, e.g.:

• Lawmakers: need of information on business

environment;

• Media: analyze governmental information through

alternative voice of private sector institutions;

• Bureaucrats and administration: do their job

better while having private sector perspective at

hand;

Your campaign

Source: World Bank Institute

Advocacy campaigns

step by step

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1. Diagnose

2. Design

3. Develop

4. Deploy

5. Debrief

• Analyze stakeholders

• Assess risks

• Find allies

• Identify intend for reforms

• Formulate message

• Find an engagement strategy

• Identify tactics and timing

• Draft and develop communication strategy

• Evaluate impact

• Assess effect and roll-out of

campaign

• Draw conclusions for further

campaigns!

• Put the campaign into action

• Stick to the knitting!

Stakeholder targeting


Advocacy campaigns

step by step

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1. Diagnose

2. Design

3. Develop

4. Deploy

5. Debrief


• Assess risks

• Find allies






• Evaluate impact


campaign


campaigns!



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Priority for the government?

Recently been featured in the media?

Similar policies: approved or rejected in recently?

Interesting to the general public?

Can individual members influence these decisions?

Prior interaction between BMOs and relevant ministries?

If so: what were the outcomes?

Advocacy campaigns

step by step

ANTICIPATE YOUR CHANCES FOR SUCCESS:

Case study:

Cash for Clunkers

Association of German Car Manufacturers:

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1) Scrap your car!

2) Get € 2,500 !

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Priority for the government?

Recently been featured in the media?

Similar policies: approved or rejected in recently?

Interesting to the general public?

Can individual members influence these decisions?

Prior interaction between BMOs and ministries?

Advocacy campaigns

step by step

CHANCES FOR SUCCESS:

Y

N

N

YY

N

Y

Case study: how to influence

regulation

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Umbrella organization of German industry and

industry-related services

Member associations: 36 trade associations

Indirect membership: 100,000 enterprises with

around 8 million employees

Voluntary membership

Federation of German Industries (BDI)


regulation

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Federation of German Industries (BDI)


regulation (BDI)

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Overview of BDI advocacy tools:

Bilateral Meetings with policy makers;

Comments on current developments via website or

newsletter;

Organization of workshops, roundtables and

conferences with relevant political stakeholders;

Policy Papers and brochures on specific topics;

Participation in Panel Discussions (organized by

other industry groups, political organizations, NGOs);

Press interviews

WHY STAKEHOLDER MAPPING?

• To better target advocacy campaigns

– Target influential stakeholders first

– Base supporters

• To weight on policy stakeholders and their influence

– Parliament/Parliamentary Leaders

– Administration/PM office

– Grassroots/Stakeholders/Voters

• To forecast the degree of commitment

• To plan micro-targeting or trade-offs

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Advocacy campaigns

step by step

I F C

H E B

G D A

Issue predisposition

No

t

Mayb

e

V

ery

STAKEHOLDER MAPPING FOR ADVOCACY CAMPAIGNS

For Undecided Against

24

I F C

H E B

G D A

24

Advocacy campaigns

step by step

© World Bank Institute

Drafting the message


Advocacy campaigns

step by step

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1. Diagnose

2. Design

3. Develop

4. Deploy

5. Debrief


• Assess risks

• Find allies






• Evaluate impact


campaign


campaigns!



Developing a message: 7 C’s of advocacy messaging

• Concise

• Compelling (and convincing)

• Credible

• Character-defining

• Contrasting

• Contextual

• Consistent


Advocacy campaigns

step by step

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Conducting advocacy


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Key audiences of advocacy (again!) are

those who influence public policies, e.g.:

• Lawmakers: need of information on business

environment;

• Media: analyze governmental information through

alternative voice of private sector institutions;

• Bureaucrats and administration: do their job

better while having private sector perspective at

hand;

Draw the right

communication

channels!


Advocacy campaigns

step by step

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1. Diagnose

2. Design

3. Develop

4. Deploy

5. Debrief


• Assess risks

• Find allies






• Evaluate impact


campaign


campaigns!



Conducting advocacy


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Choose the right communication tool for

positioning your advocacy right:

•Press release: clarity, brevity, details, format;

•Comment: 1-2 pager – reaction on an issue;

•Policy paper: like issue brief but more detailed and

explanatory;

•Fact sheets: answer FQAs;

•Speeches: of chairpersons and key

representatives;

•Social media

Source: CIPE

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Preparing a Position Paper

for Policy Reform

Comment Position paper

Impulse comes from

external action:

• proposal for new law

• BDI invited to comment

Impulse comes from

internal resources:

➜sets the agenda!

➜propose solutions!

➜is pro-active! ➜is re-active!

Source: BDI

Conducting advocacy


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Advocacy has to be fact-based!

• A favorable investment and business climate is

central to growth and development.

• Effective policies to improve the climate require

sound evidence.

• Therefore: evidence is urgently needed to support

your policy position!

Conducting advocacy


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Evidence for advocacy (1):

• use data provided by think-tanks:

– indices;

– data of continuous surveys;

• undertake your own research:

– business barometers;

– surveys among members;

– pros & cons

Conducting advocacy


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• use data provided by think-tanks:

– indices;

– data of continuous surveys;

• Federation of German Industries:

– own macro analytical and research department but:

– ONLY data provided by other providers (EUROSTAT,

National Bureau of Statistics, regional administrations,

research institutes etc.) are used for BDI’s advocacy

Conducting advocacy


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• undertake your own research:

– business barometers;

– surveys among members;

– pros & cons

• Association of Ghana Industries:

– very small research department but:

– main advocacy tool is the quarterly “AGI Business

Barometer” (panel: 300 interviewees on current and

future business expectation)

Message delivery


Advocacy campaigns

step by step

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1. Diagnose

2. Design

3. Develop

4. Deploy

5. Debrief


• Assess risks

• Find allies






• Evaluate impact


campaign


campaigns!



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Advocacy campaigns

step by step

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Straightforward but important:

All members of your organization (i.e.

chairpersons, directors, staff, committee members)

convey the same message!

Inconsistent messages undermine credibility of

your organization.

Inconsistent communication is a common reason

for failure of advocacy campaigns!

Advocacy campaigns

step by step

Measure your

performance


Advocacy campaigns

step by step

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1. Diagnose

2. Design

3. Develop

4. Deploy

5. Debrief


• Assess risks

• Find allies






• Evaluate impact


campaign


campaigns!



Thank you for your attention

Name: Ansgar Cordier

Email: [email protected]

EBESM Project 39

ENHANCEMENT OF THE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT IN … III/3 Policy Advocacy.pdf · • Character-defining...

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