Public Policy Engagement Services

Advising On How To Engage With Policymakers

Engaging with policymakers can be very stressful and to make it meaningful, you need to be well prepared. As these activities entail an investment of time, one can make a tangible difference to the exposure only if they are well prepared, and more often than not, leverage it as a source of inspiration and great satisfaction for further work. We have significant experience in advising teams on how to interact with policymakers. We coach teams on a whole lot of matters. Firstly, tell teams about the key players and who they need to talk to. Next, we prepare them for the political context i.e. how contemporary their research is on current thinking on the issue. Yet another important training is on how to communicate so that policymakers find it useful. In other words, we suggest all practical recommendations. Lastly, we coach teams on how to make connections with policymakers (both in-person and online) who have a keen interest in your needs. Our training is designed to help members on ways to adopt a long-term perspective so that the meeting turns out to be fruitful.

Developing Strategies For Working With Policymakers

We help teams to build strategies before they go to meet policymakers. We start with setting the agenda or the issues that need to be focussed upon. This is primarily done with the help of compelling research so that government officials can have a clear idea of which issues to prioritize. We have helped several consortiums put issues like tobacco control, child abuse, domestic violence, etc. at the top of the national policy agenda. Next, we help you strategize on how to formulate the policy. With the help of specific data sets or evaluation of findings, we assist you to come up with the right strategies to help policymakers turn a particular priority into a policy response. Our policy-based strategies have helped policymakers to identify priorities such as introducing scholarships or special school facilities to promote education in tribal areas; nipping the problem of child abuse by introducing it as a chapter in social science; improve the quality of education with rating-based feedback on teachers, and so on. Our strategy is also defined by policy implementation which includes defining the blueprint for adapting and improving over time.

Transforming Research Into Policy-Relevant Products

The process of translating research into policy implementation is challenging. This is because the process is dynamic and iterative or in other words open to continuous changes. The difference between knowledge creation and action development has always been very fluid. We specialize in translating research materials into products that help in policy implementation. These products include PowerPoint presentations, fact sheets, briefs, videos, podcasts, and infographics each of which has a crucial role in disseminating information to target audiences. Our research knowledge translation into relevant products is driven by a process that involves co-creating knowledge with all stakeholders and brainstorming to channelize the knowledge and build apt products that are relevant to the research and tailored to help in making policy implementation more effective and fruitful. We shape policy-relevant products to overcome challenges such as lack of awareness, lack of understanding between knowledge-users and researchers, and research carried out with low budgets. Our experience in translating research into policy-relevant products have positively impacted policy outcomes. Besides, it has also helped in implementing policies within projected timelines and even ensured that the implementation is streamlined for benefits not envisioned. Our policy-relevant products also extend to translating research into awareness programs through social media channels.

Providing Virtual Training And Workshops

Policymakers are influenced by a range of different factors. It is difficult to analyze the factors exactly. Some of these factors include public opinion, budget restrictions, values and ideology, political parties, mass media, events, interest groups, and economic and social conditions. Given the complexity of the policymaking process and the varied level of groups involved, working and creating an impact with policymakers can be an impossible task. However, some ways and strategies can be deployed to interact with policymakers and create the right impact. These strategies, even if developed properly, may fail at the final moment because of the lack of rehearsal. We assist teams to engage with policymakers fruitfully in a range of ways such as playing the team lead, providing virtual training, and organizing workshops. Each of these help in boosting the confidence of participating members in executing their cut out task effectively before policymakers. Our workshops and virtual training analyze and plug all the loopholes that a team may face and also prepares the team to take on unexpected questions or rebuttals with confidence. We have also assisted our clients by representing them in meeting policymakers.

Fixing Meets With Policymakers

Policymakers are highly tied up professionals with little or no time to spare for third-party representations. Most of the time, they only settle for brief meetings that are not sufficient to make a wholesome presentation of issues. And if the representation happens to be against the interests of the ruling dispensation, getting a meeting arranged can be particularly tough if not impossible. We have wide experience in assisting our clients to chart a course to appointments and meets with policymakers. Our process includes getting in touch with government authorities on ways to get in touch with policymakers and identify the right contact person to understand the policymakers' calendar and propose a meeting accordingly. No matter how important an issue is, policymakers may take their own time in getting up. To ensure they get up, it is important to carry out regular follow-ups. We do this on your behalf to ensure you land up with a convenient date. In the unlikely event of failing to set up an appointment, we consider meeting a legislator to ensure a top to down order for the meeting is issued. We always go the last mile to ensure the meeting is arranged within the expected timelines.

Leverage Media Advocacy to Create Awareness in Society

A good way to influence policymaking is through media advocacy. Media helps in setting the agenda for the public and policymakers by bringing all the major issues into sharp focus. This in turn impacts how the policymakers and public view or think about certain issues. It primarily involves itself by zeroing in on certain aspects of reality and establishing its validity in a communicating text. Besides this, media can influence policymakers by giving a definite shape to public opinion. This brings policymakers under some kind of pressure to respond. There have been several examples of media advocacy in public health helping considerably in increasing public awareness and creating the necessary pressure on decision-makers for a policy change.

We also assist our clients in disseminating research information to the public with the help of the media. Besides the traditional platform of newspapers, we specialize in making use of modern-day information and communication platforms such as blogs, social networking sites, and interactive websites. We primarily try to share information through television that still commands a large audience and social media to increase user interaction and get peer support. All our media advocacy programs have assisted our clients to meet the objective of drawing the attention of policymakers and ensuring change in policies.

Organizing Briefings, Roundtables, & Policy Forums

A proven way of drawing the attention of policymakers without quite meeting them is by organizing roundtables, press briefings, or presenting research findings in public forums. As a primary part of our public policy engagement services, we have assisted our clients in preparing a common meeting place where people from different walks of life meet to exchange information, create awareness, and augment knowledge. The best part about forums and roundtables is that they create opportunities for enlightening discovery and cross-disciplinary thinking. Besides, it helps to draw a range of stakeholders across a wide spectrum of the domain. These stakeholders primarily consist of experts from academia, government representatives, local representatives, scientific communities, industry representatives, people from the public, and consumer interest groups, among others. The coming together of these diverse individuals and representatives can go a long way not just in sharing knowledge but building understanding and trust that is needed to make progress in the most impossible sections of policymaking. Our experience in organizing roundtables and forums is diverse enough to help you disseminate information properly and slowly create pressure on policymakers. We have combined public forum debates with media advocacy to ensure policymakers sit up and think the way you think and guide them in arriving at the right conclusion.