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Module 1 Discussion: Advocacy and the Political Context
It is important to contextualize advocacy approaches and that requires analysing the root causes of the problem we are trying to solve which can be done by being inclusive and understanding the problems by someone who is facing them directly.
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The importance of taking into account our political context and adapt to it is also well explained in the famous book of Srdja Popovic "How to topple a dictator" ! :)
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Yes I think that this is very important because what an outsider might think is important for the group is not really important for the people in the group. Stakeholder buy-in is extremely important to be effective.
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Political environment not only determines the operations an NGO but can sometimes land the management to get troubles with the government regimes. Some government can sometimes burn any amount of NGO activity, or can allow the operation under a strict rules regulations for a prevailing political situations. However, some government regimes require,recognizes and can recommend any amount of input for from the nonprofit organization by providing the necessary resources and space for the project implementing agencies.
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There is no doubt that understanding the political environment is so important for the success of an advocacy approach. That is because a certain approach can be appropriate for a certain context but not for another. It is only the people who are in the field who can decide which advocacy approach is applicable.
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I agree the stakeholders need to all be on board with change in my filed of training so much training is wasted if the organisation does not support the new learning.
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That's very true. Much as contextualization should be done focusing on the beneficiaries, also the political environment (philosophies) should be given special attention since sometimes beneficiaries might need a certain change which the politicians are not ready to embrace especially in less democratic governments which care about personal gains than citizen first on their political agenda
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I think we have very few countries in which we have open contexts, where the opinion of stakeholders, NGOs, the constituents are actively sought by the decision-makers, ie politicians. I can only think of one, where there is an active type of direct democracy, where the voters are regularly at the polls to give their opinion on key governmental policies. In my country, the governance is not at all clear. There is a murky line of responsibility. The main taxing governmental body doesn't deliver the bulk of the programs in the areas of education and healthcare, resulting in poor accountability over the use of the public coffers for those sectors. We have to approach various levels of government, because the decision maker is not clearly one or the other level.
Another problem is that the politician may have the power in theory to make decisions, but in reality, the bureaucracy can stymie the political decisions. There is a status quo that is entrenched in public service that will not change easily based on the decision of politicians, who might be only there for a few years and then another party has a radically different agenda for that area we seek to influence. Then there's the power behind lobbyists, unions, etc. The whole environment for decision makers is really complex these days, especially since political figures also have to manage their social media profile. Many promise changes to look good, but then nothing changes concretely.
A good point - to keep in mind the repercussions on those we seek to help, or even perhaps on the team of the NGO working seeking to influence. -
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Agreed. As many countries around the world are becoming more closed, it is also important to keep in mind the risks of advocacy work for ourselves and our colleagues. How do you make that trade-off? What kinds of organizational policies should we have with respect to risk analysis and mitigation?
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Yeah, restrictive governments hinder the progress of advocates of NGOs.
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currently in my country we have an anti-HIV discrimination law, which in itself is a good thing. Nonetheless, implementation of the law continues to be a challenge in the light of stigma and discrimination, which often lead people to not invoke the law when their human rights are trampled on. When the factor of discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity is brought into the picture, the case is worsened, because we have seen police clamp down on LGBT spaces, which at times double as avenue for education and HIV testing services.
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Usually some governments will never come to support any advocacy work that does not benefit them. Advocates for The LGBTIQ Human rights are usually at risk whenever they stand to speak people from their communities will shame them and even name call them. Sometimes what makes advocacy work difficult is not knowing what the policies of your government say. As long as one knows what their constitution says about that particular thing they are advocating for it will be easy for them to stand up and speak for what they know and believe is right.
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Do you have the link for this book. I would love to go through it.
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This is true I can relate to some of the things. In my country we actually do face a similar thing in our advocacy work.
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Very true. In the context where the people are very emotionally attached to their ways of doing things
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Politics basically is about decision making. Understanding that context aids in planning approaches to influence decision making, helps understanding what is likely to be accepted or not accepted. Various interests of parties also influence actions and responses on given issues.
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I really learned a lot from this module. The problem identification and political context were crucial in developing advocacy plan
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Thank you Sir. Another good resource. I like being with a team of senior professionals.
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Very well said.
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I think what's often missing is KPIs, key performance indicators. NGOs often work without defining clear outcomes of that they want to achieve.
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The examination of the environmental stances of both mainstream political parties and environmental social movements; and. The analysis of public policymaking and implementation affecting the environment, at multiple geo-political levels. mixed impact
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It would important to identify the context in which the advocacy work would be taling place so one could determine risks vs. benefits, which actions would benefit or hinder, and if even the project should be undertaken.
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Am very certain about advocacy because without one stood for others then it's hard to convince government.
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Listening to those actually experiencing the problem is the most important first step.
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For sure restrictive government hinder the progress of advocates of NGO.because organisations ar not allowed to operate freely especially area ofpolitical advocate every time you want to have meetings you have to
notify the police ,if they know your agenda of political advocacy sometime permit not given. -
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in regards to advocacy and the political context, i think it's within one's capability to decide which context they can create through their influence at the respective places of operation
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in our country we face the same problems when it comes to advocacy
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Hmmmm for some context it is absolutely true...
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Hmmmm for some context it is absolutely true...
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I will start with restrictive where I work as it was discussed earlier on restrictive does not have openness as open contexts. In restrictive you will be guided on certain rules of the organization although in this context the rule of law is not followed it will be overridden by very people who makes the law so it becomes very difficult for one perform his or her duties as you will be afraid of executing your duties properly because you will be labeled as you are tarnishing the image of the organization. Also you can not give your opinions on anything and things are done secretly. But it is a very boring environment to work because you can not express what is good for the citizens. The executive tells the Legislative and the Judiciary what to do so you can not come up with favorable judgments as you will be told what the outcome should be.
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I think restrictive context may be one better to stick to an organization vision. It cans help organization taking actions in a well-known funnel that can get them to constantly improve their idea in the field they are related to without getting out the area that are theirs. This would be a good way to improve sartness over broadness and that I think is a powerful weapon to correct and effective development. I wish the challenge will be to select the good decision maker and have a clear and smart vision that meet a specific problem.
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What comes to mind is the issue of FGM and the communities it is being practiced. In Kenya for instance where there are pockets of this problem, it is important to understand where the laws of the country stand on this subject and use that to initiate an effective advocacy campaign by bringing on board community leadership to drive an anti-FGM campaign.
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It is important for there to be transparency when it comes to the political context so that advocates know how to advocate effectively.
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In my country (Brazil), we have a semi-open context. At the same time that we consider the country as a democracy, we have some level of transparency and participation, we also face several problems in our political system, such as corruption and we deal with enormous violence coming from the government and public officials. In this scenario, the work of NGOs and even political groups faces great challenges.
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Agreed. As many countries around the world are becoming more closed, it is also important to keep in mind the risks of advocacy work for ourselves and our colleagues. How do you make that trade-off? What kinds of organizational policies should we have with respect to risk analysis?
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Understanding ones context of operation is very important why carrying out advocacy.
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Most of the country operate in a semi open environment in which people must think of their actions and the consequence before engaging in it.
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Political context is effecting everything in our daily life. It influences our culture, people's behaviors, and even what people think and express...these will all have impact on the decisions making.
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Great insights on the need to understand a problem before prescribing an advocacy solution. Comprehending the political context in which the advocacy strategy will be applied is critical. Lacking it maybe a recipe for failure.
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Restrictive context aptly describes the exact situation in Nigeria.
Advocacy if carefully conducted will provide long lasting solution to the mightiest problems. -
Adding to my colleagues points I believe knowing your country political context is very crucial to your success as NGO. I support our instructors that most countries are residing in the semi-open context so as NGOs operating in these countries we could really learn from each other and enrich our experiences. There is not best-solution that fits everywhere, however, understanding the real need, sharing knowledge and exchanging experiences might lead to better communities.
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This is a great point. There is a huge difference between having a law or policy and actually enforcing the said law or policy. I wonder how much advocacy work is done to have new measures enacted versus having existing ones enforced.
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I agree. I believe, in the vast majority of cases, politicians would like to make things better for their people. Where that desire fits on their priority ladder is the real question. For some, it sits pretty high, for other it may fall below personal gain. The challenge, then, is how to move it higher up the ladder. How is improving the lives of others beneficial for them (the politician)?
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Now most political leaders are self-centered leaders whose agendas are based on their families and friends, so these such leaders need to be dealt with in through massive awareness and creating of young advocates who are full of visions towards the betterment of their generation in order flourish and influence and advance the political arenas. Now the question is, how can we as the most vulnerable communities deal with such visionless leaders?
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If any of here then kindly check my assignment
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If any of here then kindly check my assignment
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Kindly help me to complete the course If any of here then kindly check my assignment
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I totally agree that every advocacy project requires the prior understanding of its projected location's political contexts. Does the people there accept usually accept new ideas or are they open enough for the world? Is it democractic or authoritarian? What are the laws? Only understanding those political contexts can produce smoother approaches for successful advocacy.
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Policy changes hardly ever happens overnight and is often linked to broader change in the political environment. Effective advocacy requires long-term as well as short-term thinking, an understanding of the points of conflict and the means to gain power, the readiness to form alliances, and the flexibility to seize windows of opportunity.
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What a way to begin the module. It is true context is of essence and in trying to solve a problem, the problem should in itself be clearly outlined and the strategies to mitigate them comprehensive. Your target audience should in effect feel the impact.
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We should have a way to measure the quality of approach to an advocacy and not the quantity such as money or other inputs but the outcome. Thanks for the insight
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in as much as the context we are working in is important, i also think it is important we take context-variability into account. the context in most nations is always changing
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Context is the pivot of any advocacy campaign. However, a factor must be highly considered. An advocacy group must ensure it adequate educates the members of the public in order not to be seen as an enemy of progress in the society. I think one of the tentacles of context that must be considered is audience characteristics and disposition. Thanks for this insight.
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I agree, stakeholders along with employees, and people inside the organization should be able to deal with change. Sometimes the stakeholders dont know what need to be changed in an organization, while those getting the support and help do. In order to see where everyone is at, there should be a survey to determine where the minds meet, then go from there.
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The political context in uganda is semi-open with all the laws in place but NGOs have to operate with extra care.
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Everything highlighted in this module is very important. Take the case of working on a advocacy campaign, its very important to know the strategies to use and the possible risk that can be encountered
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Political environment is very important. Where I am in the US, our neighborhood has changed from a conservative political strong arm type of leadership to a more open liberal leadership. Those who fight the change are afraid. Afraid of any changes will destroy what they know about their neighborhood but the change is needed as our community has changed due to the political upheaval that had led to the loss of work and social programs
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Everything highlighted in this module is very important. Take the case of working on a advocacy campaign, its very important to know the strategies to use and the possible risk that can be encountered
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I really learned a lot from this module, but the difference between open and Semi open is still not clear to me, because many NGOs don't work on Achieving all there Goals but rather take side with the Government.
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I so much agree with you because the more you understand your political environment, the more strategic you will be in tackling the problem at hand
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I am lucky enough to live in an open context (Australia), however there are signs over the last few years that we are heading more towards a semi-open environment, especially regarding indigenous (first nations) rights, media freedom and transparency of some government decisions. It seems crucial that NGOs adapt their approaches rapidly to the changing context of their work - what worked open year or under one government may not have the same outcomes under a newly elected government and the organization can quickly sidelined. Maintaining relevance and presence across different political groups and anticipating how they respond to you if they come to power is important.
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Many countries are becoming more restricted, even the semi opened ones and this phenomena is placing advocacy works at risk
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While criticism is appreciated in an open context,it acceptable to a degree in semi open context
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When you understand the political environment of your country, you are a step closer to achieving your goals as an advocate
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This module is a very crucial one in defining the problem you're trying to solve. In most semi-open country in which most are described as a democratic setting with some level of transparency and expression but characterized by a great deal of corruption and violence act by powerful and governmental forces thereby rendering the NGOs unable to do anything because most are always perverted .
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