government relations nhh 2012 (red)
Post on 17-Oct-2014
609 Views
Preview:
DESCRIPTION
TRANSCRIPT
Government relations Developing relations to the government: Pitfalls and success factors
Sigurd Klyve Grytten@grytten
Agenda
Understanding of the political system (from the inside)• The political situation
Understanding of the political logic• The reflexivity of politics
Developing effective relations to the government• Pitfalls and success factors
Methodology
Messaging
Conclusions
THE POLITICAL SYSTEMEvery political strategy need to start with a deep understanding of
The fundamental basics
Always more need than recourses
Battle between interest for the limited resources available
Economics is the fundament for politics
The more money you get, the more political you become
Income
Employer- and sosial security tax
VAT
Income from the Petroleumum sector
Taxes on income and wealth
Other income
Expenses
Transfers to municipalities and counties
Health sector
Payroll and operating expenses to the state
Payments to social security
Other expenses
The political situation in Europe is dominated by the finance crisis – Norway is a different, or…?
The challenge for Norwegian economy the next years
Government debt is increasing rapidly in Europe and USA
Reductions in public spending
Possibility for reduced economic growth
Unemployment in Europe
Global growth in GNP
Demographics and future income from the petroleum fund
Majority of the population has been outside the private sector since 1980
Voting behavior in relation to private and public sector in 2009
Series1 64 11 11
30 10 2 40
Ap SV SP H KrF V FrP
Polarization of Norwegian politics
Power is kept in the government
EFFECTIVE INFLUENCINGHow to influence political decisions effectively
The core of effective political influencing
Political influencing is about leveraging yourself amongst other good purposes.
Political support is not enough,
it has to hurt not to support your interest/ case.
Focus on the desired political outcome
Your own position in the political process is just a mean to reach the desired political outcome.
Your public profile is a mean to empower yourself to influence effectively, not to influence directly.
Give the decision maker, or stakeholders near the decision maker, the honor/benefit of the political solution, political idea
you present.
Who does it right?
THE REFLEXIVITY OF POLITICS
”We need to do something, this is something, therefore we must do it”
(Yes Primeminister, BBC)
What is the reflexivity of politics?Democratic politics has always been a reflection of the public majority's perception
Media has in the information age the power to interpret the perception of reality, and trough that the power to steer the policy development. Media replaces class, family and culture as reference for interpretation.
The reflexive effects between media, public and politics becomes deciding for the policy development.
Public
Politics
Media
Politics is shaped in a room of reflexivity
Politics is developed in a reflexive space – involving the public, the economy and execution of authority:
The public governs policy development• Public focus on weak/wrongful execution of power results
in demands for a new policy – demands for action• Politics becomes a reflection of how economic, legal,
bureaucratic and political power is executed and interpreted among the public
The higher the symbolic value, the stronger the political repercussions
Sir Humphrey: Something must be done!
Sir Humphreys political syllogism*:
1.Something must be done
2.This is something
3.Therefore we must do it
* syllogism (Greek), A type of logical argument first studied by Aristotle, in which one proposition (the conclusion) is inferred from two others (the premises) of a certain form. In a valid syllogism, the proposition follows as a logical conclusion from the premises.
Consequence:
• There are only 22 percent of the members of Parliament who think it is the political system who sets the political agenda. 71 percent think it is the journalists and media who control the public debate.
• As much as 67 percent of the representatives answers that the media has great or some influence when they are going to decide in a political case.
• Four percent of the representatives think it is economic interests which often set the agenda, one present think it is NGOs
(Survey by Respons April 2009)
GOVERNMENT RELATIONSBasic methodology
Central elements of a political strategy
Scenario
Goal
Analysis
Profile
Message
Alliances
Media
Decision makers
Society
Uni
que
and
rele
vant
Knowledge
Political positioning
Low High
Low
HighLeading political
movement
New political movement
Important but unknown
Dinosaur
Decision analysis
Decision M
aker I
Decision M
aker II
Decision Maker III
Decision Maker IV
Advisors
ColleaguesColleagues
Advisors Colleagues
Advisors Colleagues
Premise providers
Premise providers
Premise providers
Premise providersDecision
Advisors
Relation analysis
Political segment
Political segment
Political segment
Stakeholder mapping
Influence
FriendFoe
MESSAGINGHow to develop effective political messages?
Political messaging is about…
RELEVANCE
Strategic communications: Define the debate
What separates good communicators from the mediocre is a conscious awareness of their own linguistic universe which enables them to define debates
Cognitive linguistics seeks to understand the nature of language, how we use it, and why we are convinced, by exploring the unconscious.
“Framing is about getting a language that fits your worldview. It is not just language. The ideas are primary – and the language carries those ideas, evokes those ideas.” (George Lakoff )
George LakoffProfessor i lingvistikk UC Berkeley
”Monstermaster” (Monster lines)
The most powerful messages is emotional
Etho
s
Pathos
Logos
Values: How do I feel about it?
Subjective advantages: What does this mean
for me?
Functional meaning: How does it work?
Function: What is it?
CONCLUSIONSHow to build strong government relations
1. Analyze what you would like to achieve
• Does it require an amendment?• Is it an ideological issue?• Is it a smaller concrete case?
2. Know the people
• Who is it necessary to influence? • Where do they stand within their own party?• What is their position within their own party, and the government? • What do they burn for?
3. Don’t under estimate the Parliament
• The parliamentary groups to the governing party's have significant influence in the government.
• Central MPs has easy access, and is listened too by the Ministers• The Groups, and the MPs, do sometimes have a different agenda then the
government
4. The opposition is useful with a majority government too
• The opposition has power when it appears with attractive solutions for the voters. • No government can in the long run live with a situation where the opposition
appears with more attractive solutions than the government. • The opposition has power to enlighten issues which harms the government
The opposition is the next government
A B C D
5. Show your alternative
• Very often we see that various interests criticize the government without having any concrete alternatives to the current policies
• A clear success factor is to be clear and specific on what you want. You need to develop a holistic alternative:
• It increases the likelihood that the government takes implements your alternative in its policy
• Alternatively, it can be the basis for a prolonged pressure by the opposition, who always are looking for well considered and specific alternatives to the policies of the government.
6. Know the political situation and the political reality
• What is the political situation in the government, within the opposition, in the various political parties and between the government and Parliament?
• What issues is dominating the media?• What issues has the potential to move voters?• What arguments will be valid within the rhetorical reality?
Hvordan påvirke lokalt
7. Use local networks – Norwegian politics is more local than national
Local politicians Local organizations Local spokespersons Local media Local business
top related