What is advocacy,

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• What is advocacy,
• who does it and what is its role?

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Joan ODonnell The Advocacy Initiative www.advocac
yinitiative.ie
Social Justice Advocacy
What
Why
Who
So what?
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Advocacy
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Lobbying
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Lobbying
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Role of Advocacy

• Participation and cohesion
• Improved, better policies
• Expertise
• Long-term perspective
• Watchdog role
• Views of minorities
• Ground truth and new issues
• Communication and buy-in
• Help in implementation
• Also as a nursery

CONTESTED
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• There was hardly a major voluntary organization
  in the country that didnt have its hand out for
  cash. This was because former Taoiseach Bertie
  Ahern brought dissent into the semi-State world
  by subsidizing interest groups to beat their own
  drums from public money.
• Michael McDowell, referring to the INOU and NWCI
• Irish Times, 27th February 2012

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• I welcome that decision. It is a matter for the
  organs for this state to determine what should be
  matters for public inquiry. I do not believe that
  any privately-sponsored body has the right to
  determine what is right or wrong.
• Senator Brian Hayes on the decision to withdraw
  funding from the anti-corruption advocacy NGO,
  the Centre for Public Inquiry. Seanad Eireann,
  Debates, 8th December 2005

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• Asked about the 35 cut in funding for the
  National Womens Council, the Minister for
  Justice Equality decided to favour
  organizations providing services over those
  providing advocacy or research activities, which
  meant difficult choices, in some cases the
  elimination of funding and the closure of
  projects
• Minister Allan Shatter, Dail Eireann, Debates,
  7th February 2012
• Reported in www.oireachtasbrief.ie

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• All of this highlights just how little influence
  social actors have had on key state policy
  through the many fora of social partnership. They
  have been co-opted into an elite-driven consensus
  which has offered no real prospect of achieving a
  greater balance between goals of efficiency and
  equity in the Irish political economy.
• Publication for The Community Platform
• Murphy and Kirby (2008) A Better Ireland is
  Possible

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• the state and the sector each recognise their
  mutual right to constructively critique one
  anothers actions and policies
• White Paper, Supporting Voluntray Activity
• Government of Ireland, 2000

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• The contribution made by the voluntary sector is
  essential and cannot be measured in monetary
  terms alone voluntary organisations have a
  great capacity to harness the concern and
  altruism of people... They also are pivotal in
  raising awareness of the issue and advocating for
  change. While at times this may cause a degree
  of tribulation in a Ministers office, robust and
  evidence based criticism is something that I
  value and welcome.
• Launch of the Homeless Policy Statement
• Minister Jan OSullivan, February 2013

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Allan Kavanagh, 2012
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39 of nonprofit organisation say they do Social
Justice Advocacy

• 17 year old service provider, 25 or less staff,
  with 2 FT and 2 PT staff working on advocacy
• Top sectors social services, CD Housing,
  Education research (followed by religious and
  health)

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50 focus locally (with 32 national, 10
regional and 7 international)
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Key issues Children and families (10) Poverty
(8) Education (8) Employment (7) Local
development (6) Social services (5) Older
people (5) Disability (5) Homelessness and
housing (5) And many more
Types of advocacy Public awareness
(11) Networking (9) Committees (9) Lobbying
(8) National networks (8) Consultation with
policy makers (7) Conferences/seminars
(7) Press and media research (6) Public
meetings (5) And many more
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?
Public (16) Local committees (15) Government
departments (9) Social partnership structures
(9) Councils (7) Others NGOs (6) Ministers
(6)
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52 focus on internal, 48 on external
55 planned, 45 unplanned
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69 rate themselves as effective or very
effective but

• 84 agreed that policy decision making in Ireland
  is fragmented
• 89 disagreed that values that underpin policy
  making are explicit
• Just over half agreed that policy decisions are
  underpinned by evidence

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What does the public think?
72 believe it is important for charities to
campaign and lobby government.
Roughly 25-30 have a reasonable understanding of
the specifics of social justice advocacy
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Perceived influence
Desired influence
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The advocacy initiativewww.advocacyinitiative.ie
anna_at_advocacyinitiative.ie _at_amvisser

• Anna Visser