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