HOW CIVIL SERVANTS AND MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT CAN DEAL EFFECTIVELY WITH PUBLIC POLICY ADVOCATES

Engaging with Public Policy Advocates is vital in many respect for civil servants or MPs, since it is the job of most Public Policy Advocates to promote the interests of their organizations, clients or corporations in a way that builds positive working relationships with government, and it is important for government to consult with representatives of key stakeholders. In addition, often policy makers will need not just the formal input of various stakeholders through the official channels but more informal discussions about the impact that one or more policy options will have on specific businesses within a sector.

Public Policy Advocates come in all shapes, sizes, and background with specific agendas and interests they are representing. Like all professions, there are good and poor practitioners in the art of public policy advocacy. Good Public Policy Advocates are honest and straightforward in their attempts to understand and influence the policy process. They present the best arguments they can about the need for change or why a certain course of government action may negatively impact their constituencies. Good Public Policy Advocates also spend a lot of time explaining how the public policy process works, the roles of each level of government and how various external forces shape government issue agenda. Public Policy Advocates also spend time identifying the objectives and drivers of internal government agenda in order to shape coherent change strategies. These activities are pursued as a means to manage their clients’ or organizations’ expectations about the level of complexity generally involved in making public policy.

From the civil servant’s or MP’s perspective, it is key to understand that Public Policy Advocates want something from you- background information about the government’s intentions with respect to a particular sector, access to decision-makers or face to face meeting with you or other senior person in your Ministry. With good Public Policy Advocates this activity is usually done with an eye to establishing a mutually beneficial dialogue on policy issues that are of concern to their clients or organizations.

Principles for managing Public Policy Advocates effectively.

In order to make the most of the time you spend with Public Policy Advocates, here are a few basic rules:

Principle 1: Know who you are dealing with

First, determine if the Public Policy Advocate is registered. It ensures transparency of activities and add legitimacy to the process. It also ensures that you are dealing with those professionals who have taken the time to understand and act in accordance with the disclosure requirements of their profession.

Principle 2: Require Public Policy Advocates to disclose the nature of their meeting requests

Inevitably Public Policy Advocates will request face to face meetings on any number of issues. In this context, make sure that they disclose the details of the meetings request, who will attend, the issue for discussion, background information on the subject matter and what they hope to achieve from the meeting. This will help you prepare and manage the Public Policy Advocate and his or her client or organization.

Principle 3: Conduct formal meetings only during office hours

This may be strict or formal, but this will signal that you want useful, productive meetings that will accomplish specific objectives. Even introductory meetings where policy matters are discussed at a minimum level should be formally arranged and conducted. Another benefit of formalizing all interactions with Public Policy Advocates is that discussions can stay focused on the policy matter under review. Conducting meetings over dinner or lunch may introduce a degree of familiarity that could lead to information leaks or rumours that are distracting or worse.

Principle 4: Provide background briefings on regular basis about the government’s agenda.

It is key to making effective use of everyone’s time that Public Policy Advocates have the information resources to advise their clients and organizations about the government’s overall agenda and how it relates to specific sectors. Many external groups will not automatically understand the multitude of competing pressures on policy makers and what is priority at any given moment. Keeping Public Policy Advocates informed will assist in minimizing pointless meetings and submissions on matters that are irrelevant to the government’s or ministry’s work plan.

Principle 5: Ensure that Public Policy Advocates have a basic knowledge of policy development

This may sound like you are being asked to do the job of a Public Policy Advocate, but the degree of knowledge about policy processes is very mixed among Public Policy Advocates. Providing a basic sketch of how things are done and the kinds of research, analysis and information requirements you have will help ensure that Public Policy Advocates don’t waste your time with demands that are unjustified from a public policy perspective. You may even get some research that helps the Ministry with its own policy objectives as well.

Principle 6 : Debrief Public Policy Advocates on the effectiveness of any meeting

Typically, Public Policy Advocates will call you after a meeting to discuss your perception of how things went. Be honest and straightforward. Don’t shy away from indicating if the meeting was not valuable, diverted from the agenda to follow, or was otherwise unhelpful. Many times Public Policy Advocates brief their clients on the agenda to follow and various issues for discussion. But sometimes their clients bring up a wide range of issues that no one is prepared for. If this is the outcome, let the Public Policy Advocate know that you expect a more focused discussion in the future. Public Policy Advocates use this information to let their clients know how to be more effective in meetings with government officials.

Principle 7:  Tell Public Policy Advocates that leakage of information is unacceptable

This may seem obvious or trivial, but sometimes Public Policy Advocates or their clients learn something in meetings that they feel compelled to share with trade associations, contacts or the media. Inform them up front that leakage of sensitive information to third parties will not be tolerated and could jeopardize their relationship with the ministry and government.

Principle 8: Remember that business organizations have limited policy capacity

It is important to keep in mind that most businesses have limited capacity for public policy debate. Even in businesses where working cooperatively with government is core to their business strategy, managing their relations with government is usually limited to defensive campaigns designed to prevent the government from moving in a certain direction. This means too that business will continue to rely on Public Policy Advocates to assist them in navigating the public policy process.

Conclusion

Effectively managing relationships with Public Policy Advocates is one key element of a good public administration strategy. Since the success of a policy initiative is often dependent on anticipating the needs and concerns of stakeholders, working effectively with their representatives is also critical. Properly prepared, Public Policy Advocates can also save public administrators and policy makers from fruitless discussions with business and other interests. To achieve this objective Public Policy Advocates and public servants must respect and work with each other to ensure successful policy outcomes.