Various strategies and techniques that could be used in advocacy
Various strategies and techniques that could be used in
advocacy, Advocacy is that the active support of a thought or cause expressed
through strategies and methods that influence the opinions and decisions of
individuals and organisations.
In the social and economic development context the aims of
advocacy are to make or change policies, laws, regulations, distribution of
resources or other decisions that affect people’s lives and to make sure that
such decisions cause implementation. Various strategies and techniques that
could be used in advocacy, Such advocacy is usually directed at policy makers
including politicians, officialdom and public servants, but also private sector
leaders whose decisions impact upon peoples lives, also as those whose opinions
and actions influence policy makers, like journalists and therefore the media,
development agencies and enormous NGOs.
By “pro-poor advocacy” we mean advocacy for political
decisions and actions that answer the interests of individuals who directly
face poverty and disadvantage. Various strategies and techniques that could be
used in advocacy, For those pursuing the goal of equitable and pro-poor ICT
access, advocacy as a way to cause change are often appropriate during a range
of circumstances, including:
(a) Where ICT policies could have the effect of reinforcing
poverty and discrimination. for instance , “e-government” projects that use the
web to enhance access to public services may, for those without internet
access, have the reverse effect, unless they're complemented by other measures
to enable universal access to the web .
(b) When appropriate ICT about-face might be expected to
enhance poor people’s lives and livelihoods. for instance , the adoption of
broadcasting policies that enable community-based organisations to determine
their own radio or television services.
(c) As a part of a wider programme of support for pro-poor
ICT access. Various strategies and techniques that could be used in advocacy, for
instance , the impact and effectiveness of investment publicly ICT access
centres could also be improved by advocacy efforts to adopt and mainstream good
practice like community participation in management or use of free and open
source software.
There is much that has been written on advocacy and the way
to realize influence. a number of the essential tenets of the art of
persuasion, found in politics and communication studies, appear also in early
Greek and Chinese philosophy. Various strategies and techniques that could be
used in advocacy, it's widely recognised, for instance , that change comes
rarely from force of argumentation alone or from the presentation of
irrefutable evidence in support of the changes required. The latter is most
starkly demonstrated by the slow response to global climate change warnings.
Much depends on the character, approach and credibility of these seeking change
and therefore the receptiveness of these they're seeking to influence . Various
strategies and techniques that could be used in advocacy, Advocacy is
inherently political and an understanding of political dynamics is at the guts
of effective advocacy.
Even the foremost clear-minded advocacy for pro-poor ICT
policies can meet resistance for various reasons, including lack of political
will, bureaucratic inertia, and counter arguments from well-resourced interest
groups pursuing their own advocacy efforts. Effective advocacy therefore
requires research to map the policy terrain, the principal actors, the
political relations and therefore the interests at stake. Various strategies
and techniques that could be used in advocacy, within the ICT policy field this
terrain typically will include government departments, communications
regulators, telecommunications service providers, media organisations, sector
associations and growing numbers of civil society interest groups. Various strategies
and techniques that could be used in advocacy, Careful planning and a strategic
approach are therefore needed if results are to be achieved.
Policy change rarely happens overnight and is usually linked
to broader change within the political environment. Various strategies and
techniques that could be used in advocacy, Effective advocacy requires
long-term also as short-term thinking, an understanding of the points of
resistance and therefore the means to realize traction, the readiness to make
alliances, and therefore the flexibility to seize windows of opportunity.
This overview describes a number of the more commonly used
advocacy techniques, from critical engagement like policy monitoring and policy
dialogue, through organised campaigns for about-face , to pathfinder and
demonstrator projects which will inform and influence future politics . Various
strategies and techniques that could be used in advocacy, It highlights the
importance for people facing disadvantage to be ready to assert their own needs
and interests. It explains step by step the way to devise an efficient advocacy
strategy for ICT policy reform. Various strategies and techniques that could be
used in advocacy, it's amid case examples and signposting to further tools and
resources.
Techniques for effective advocacy
Policy monitoring and public accountability
Almost all effective policy-related advocacy efforts commence
with observation and monitoring of the implementation and effectiveness of
policies already in situ . Various strategies and techniques that could be used
in advocacy, These might include, for instance , commitments to ICT
infrastructure roll-out, universal access policies, support for community-based
ICT access centres, public interest broadcasting policies, or regulatory
mechanisms to make sure fair pricing of services.
High profile ICT policy monitoring by civil society advocacy
groups can, on its own, contribute to improved policy implementation and
effectiveness by highlighting public policy targets and drawing public
attention to under performance or to policy failure. Various strategies and
techniques that could be used in advocacy, Governments and public bodies,
especially in democratic societies, are sensitive to critical reports, and more
so when these are supported robust evidence and analysis, come from a reputable
source, and are widely published and disseminated.
Policy monitoring by civil society groups could also be
within the sort of one-off investigation into a specific area of interest; it's
going to contains a baseline study, perhaps at the commencement of a
replacement policy, and a follow-up study later to determine what results were
achieved; or it's going to be a periodic monitoring report, like an annual
review.
Policy monitoring and public accountability are made easier
where government departments and other public bodies, including regulatory
organisations, maintain and publish data and reports during a timely fashion
and undertake research and consultation to facilitate deciding within the public
interest. Various strategies and techniques that could be used in advocacy, Where
this is often not the case, where the knowledge is poor or unreliable, or where
independent data is required , civil society organisations and coalitions may
organise their own research and data gathering, or they'll believe third party
sources like commercial and academic research.
Right to information laws can help and, in countries where
such laws are weak or absent, their adoption or improvement has itself been a
key demand of civil society organisations, not only those working within the
communication policy field. Various strategies and techniques that could be
used in advocacy, In some cases investigative journalism could also be needed
to uproot and expose policy failings.
Impact may often be enhanced by involving citizens and civil
society organisations within the process of policy monitoring and review and by
gathering demand-side data using techniques like citizen surveys, social audits
and participatory policy review. Various strategies and techniques that could
be used in advocacy, Such social accountability mechanisms have gained
increasing recognition as effective means of strengthening civic engagement in
politics and policy monitoring.
Policy dialogue – ICT and mainstream development policy
Policy monitoring alone may prompt corrections to policy
failure or cause improved policy implementation, but most civil society groups
concerned with ICT policy also carry their own ideas about what policies are
desirable. vthey're curious about gaining influence earlier within the
policy-making process. At its most straightforward this involves engagement in
policy dialogue with bureaucrats and politicians.
The Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET), for instance ,
features a core programme activity on “gender and ICT policy advocacy” with
attention on equitable access to ICTs and engendering ICT politics . Various
strategies and techniques that could be used in advocacy, Their priorities
include not only attention on existing ICT policies like the agricultural
Communications Development Fund (a levy applied to telecom providers to support
areas that are underserved by markets) but also engaging in policy development
processes like the review of the National ICT Policy. Various strategies and
techniques that could be used in advocacy, WOUGNET participates actively in
government-organised stakeholder consultations on ICT policy, it contributes
its own studies and reports, and it responds to draft policy proposals.
Civil society organisations like WOUGNET, whose field of
interest is within the development of the utilization of ICTs, tend to focus
their policy dialogue efforts on areas of politics that are explicitly and
primarily concerned with ICT policy: universal access arrangements, national
e-strategies, etc. this might seem a clear strategy but, on its own, it also
can have the disadvantage of limiting policy dialogue to a comparatively narrow
range of actors – especially those that already share an identical outlook or
others perhaps more curious about ICT growth than in pro-poor development.
Strategic engagement in policy dialogue on pro-poor ICT
access also can be gained by taking, as a primary focus, areas of mainstream
development policy – education, health, rural livelihoods, then on – and
contributing to more strategically framed development politics like the
preparation of National Development Strategies. Various strategies and
techniques that could be used in advocacy, this attitude can assist in gaining
traction for a pro-poor ICT access agenda across a broader political and
policy-making spectrum. Various strategies and techniques that could be used in
advocacy, It also can assist better understanding of the important world policy
choices that politicians and their constituents face – cleaner water or faster
connectivity, more clinics or more ICT access centres – and better articulation
of the role of ICTs in poverty reduction.
For effective pro-poor ICT policy dialogue, engagement on
both fronts could also be the foremost productive strategy: ensuring that ICT
politics is informed by a pro-poor perspective and strengthening that position
by building support across government, especially those most engaged with
poverty reduction and pro-poor development.
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