ASSOCIATION OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS AGENCIES-CZECH REPUBLIC (APAA)

The Association of Public Affairs Agencies (APAA) was launched in May 2012. Individual companies participating in the association are convinced of the usefulness of this field and the necessity of high professional standards in the conduct of such activities. In the Czech Republic there are quite a high number of companies dealing with public affairs activities either directly or as part of other activities. The key objective of the association is to reach higher transparency and professionalism on the market.

APAA's Objectives and Activity Focus:

POLICY ACTORS WITHIN THE EU

Policy requires shaping and managing people’s behaviour, so understandably those groups of persons affected by policy either positively or negatively are important actors to be consulted in the policy formulation process. Policy actors can be categorized broadly into three sectors of society: State, Market and Citizen.

Policies are made i.e. they are formulated by a wide range of players i.e. elected officials and their appointees. In the private sector, policy makers are CEOs, Boards of Directors and other top ranking corporate officials.

HOW MUCH LOBBYING IS THERE IN WASHINGTON D.C., USA

The research here below was produced by Tim LaPira, an Assistant Professor of Political Science at James Madison University, and a Sunlight Foundation Academic Fellow.

INTEREST GROUPS REPRESENTATION: YOU CAN'T BE STRONG AT EU LEVEL IF YOU AREN'T STRONG AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL

The notion of political representation of interest groups is clearly related to functional rather than territorial representation. Interest groups are generally defined as organisations that are separate from government that attempt to influence public policy. They provide institutionalized linkage between the government or the state and major interests in society.

BECOMING A PUBLIC POLICY ADVOCATE: EDUCATION AND CAREER ROADMAP

Public Policy Advocates communicate with government representatives, officials and legislators on behalf of clients and causes. Public Policy Advocates represent a variety of entities, including individuals, companies, trade and professional associations, foundations, NGOs etc.

Public Policy Advocates may attempt to persuade government officials through direct contact or by organizing grassroots efforts to encourage citizens to communicate with their elected officials about selected topics.

EU FUNDED CIVIL SOCIETY GROUPS

The European Commission has a two-fold incentive to support European Civil Society: input legitimacy in the policy making process, and the creation of a vibrant polity or social sphere for social cohesion and policy entrepreneurship. In fact, this desire might be even more acute in the Commission which has had to continually fight for legitimacy in the face of member state governments. The Commission hopes that NGOs can construct a transnational civil society, or European social sphere, and in so doing, enhance the legitimacy and saliency of the EU with the European public.

GRASSROOTS LOBBYING OFF THE RADAR SCREEN IN AMERICA

Grassroots Activities in the United States which are generally described as efforts to stimulate “grassroots” lobbying are communications which are directed at members of the general public, or at more selected persons on mailing lists of organizations or other entities, which take specific positions on legislative matters pending before or public policy issues to be considered by the legislature, and which contain a so-called ‘call to action”.

PRINCIPLES OF ENGAGEMENT WITH GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVES

Public policy advocacy has become an integral part of the democratic governmental process in many nations. Tens of thousands of individuals and organizations are now paid to represent diverse clients’ interests before governmental institutions, and more are engaging in this activity every day. Their work derives from the fundamental democratic concept that in a democracy every individual and all other legitimate interests corporations; associations; non-profit organizations; religious organizations; etc.

ORGANISING GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS FOR IMPACT AND RESULTS

According to a recent survey undertaken by McKinsey fewer than 30 percent of the executives responding said that their external-affairs groups had the organizational setup and talent necessary to succeed. McKinsey surveyed 2,186 executives on external affairs at their companies. The respondents represented the full range of regions, industries, company sizes, tenures, and functional specialties.

SHADOW LOBBYING IS UP IN AMERICA!

People in the U.S. can elude the lobbying law’s registration requirement by simply interpreting the strict statutory definition of “lobbyist” as not applying to them. That is, so long as they are not spending 20% of their time—think one full day in a normal work week—on behalf of any single client for an entire quarter, then they do not need to register or report their lobbying activities. Think about that: do you ever spend one full day per week for three months straight working on any one project at work?

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