An Overview of Advocacy Practices National Seminar on Globalisation and India: Voices from the Ground Globalisation and India: Voices from the Ground December 2006 at Lucknow organised by CUTS International, Jaipur in partnership with NEED, Lucknow Jayati Srivastava Centre for International Politics, Organisation and Disarmament School of International Studies Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi

Advocacy Advocacy: a planned and organised set of actions to effectively influence public policies to empower the marginalised. Advocacy: a planned and organised set of actions to effectively influence public policies to empower the marginalised. In a liberal democracy, uses democratic, non-violent and constitutional means In a liberal democracy, uses democratic, non-violent and constitutional means Perceived as a value driven political process Perceived as a value driven political process Questions and changes existing unequal power relations in favour of the socially, politically and economically marginalised Questions and changes existing unequal power relations in favour of the socially, politically and economically marginalised Can occur at multiple levels of the policy process: local, national, and/or international Can occur at multiple levels of the policy process: local, national, and/or international At some or all phases of public policy making: At some or all phases of public policy making: agenda setting agenda setting formulation of policies formulation of policies enactment of policies enactment of policies At implementation; monitoring and enforcement stage At implementation; monitoring and enforcement stage

The Study Addressing the pertinent issues of accountability and transparency. Addressing the pertinent issues of accountability and transparency. Main objective: evaluate advocacy practices to ascertain what advocacy tools is most efficient at the ground level on issues of globalisation and trade. Main objective: evaluate advocacy practices to ascertain what advocacy tools is most efficient at the ground level on issues of globalisation and trade. Within a right-based framework emanating from the development literature which is considered more effective, and sustainable. Within a right-based framework emanating from the development literature which is considered more effective, and sustainable. Promises higher levels of empowerment, ownership, and free, meaningful and active participation. Promises higher levels of empowerment, ownership, and free, meaningful and active participation.

Methodology and Field Area  Case study methodology  Four states: Karnataka, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal; four different independent researchers.  Context specificity of advocacy practices considered important given diverse socio- economic and political context of the 4 states  Overall framework: Comparative research design for comparable success and failure stories of advocacy practices and tools.  Qualitative field interviews in select villages and districts with different stakeholders

Partner Organisations  Karnataka: Consumer Research, Education & Awareness Trust (CREAT), Bangalore  Rajasthan: CUTS Centre for Consumer Action, Research & Training (CUTS-CART), Jaipur  Uttar Pradesh: Network for Entrepreneurship & Economic Development (NEED), Lucknow  West Bengal: CUTS Calcutta Resource Centre (CUTS- CRC), Calcutta

Advocacy Tools Outreach Meetings Outreach Meetings Workshops targeting State Level Officials Workshops targeting State Level Officials State and national advocacy workshops also for: State and national advocacy workshops also for: State level for State Trade Policy Councils (STPCs) State level for State Trade Policy Councils (STPCs) National level for National Trade Policy Council (NTPC) National level for National Trade Policy Council (NTPC) Media Workshops Media Workshops National Seminars and Workshops National Seminars and Workshops E- Group and E- list E- Group and E- list Publications: Making Things Happen, Gram Gadar, GRANITE Newsletter, Briefing papers, etc. Publications: Making Things Happen, Gram Gadar, GRANITE Newsletter, Briefing papers, etc.

Evaluating Advocacy Practices -1 Practice means: an experience, a specific intervention strategy, activity or process of an organisation or a group of organisations to achieve social change. Practice means: an experience, a specific intervention strategy, activity or process of an organisation or a group of organisations to achieve social change. Could include policy advocacy, poverty eradication, agricultural technique, an educational method or international coalition building. Could include policy advocacy, poverty eradication, agricultural technique, an educational method or international coalition building. Based on these criterions, good, bad and innovative practices were identified: Based on these criterions, good, bad and innovative practices were identified: Good practice: reasonable quantitative and qualitative evidence to show its effectiveness in achieving specific objective and has potential for replication. Good practice: reasonable quantitative and qualitative evidence to show its effectiveness in achieving specific objective and has potential for replication. Innovative practice: Inconclusive evidence of its effectiveness but it looks promising. Innovative practice: Inconclusive evidence of its effectiveness but it looks promising. Bad practice: Failures or negligible success; learning from failures needed to achieve desired objectives. Bad practice: Failures or negligible success; learning from failures needed to achieve desired objectives.

Evaluating Advocacy Practices - 2 Success of individual advocacy practice contingent on it meeting one, some or all of the following criteria: Success of individual advocacy practice contingent on it meeting one, some or all of the following criteria: Creating awareness amongst stakeholders about WTO, trade and globalisation. Creating awareness amongst stakeholders about WTO, trade and globalisation. Ascertaining their perceptions on livelihood concerns in the context of WTO and globalisation Ascertaining their perceptions on livelihood concerns in the context of WTO and globalisation Influencing trade policy making both at the state and union level. Influencing trade policy making both at the state and union level. Positive intervention people’s livelihood: in terms of generating alternative marketing avenues for farmers and textile workers. Positive intervention people’s livelihood: in terms of generating alternative marketing avenues for farmers and textile workers. Capacity building of partner organisations and other CSOs. Capacity building of partner organisations and other CSOs.

Evaluating Advocacy Practices: An Overview An Overview of Advocacy Practices StakeholdersPurpose of AdvocacyMain Tool of AdvocacyEvaluation Villagers including farmers and textile workers (1) improve the knowledge of stakeholders about the changes brought about by the WTO regime in the context of globalisation; (2) ascertain their perceptions about the globalisation and its impact on their livelihood concerns in order to feed the grassroots demands into the policy domain; (3) creating alternative marketing avenues* Combination of outreach meetings; distribution of publication material; placard processions (1) Good practice (2) Good practice (3) Innovative practice State government officials/ Minsters, etc.(1) Making trade policy making more transparent, and accountable ; (2) creating structural spaces for grassroots inputs into the policy domain State-level workshop; distribution of publications; personal contacts and persuasions (1) Bad practice (2) Bad practice Media(1) Sensitise the media about economic impacts of WTO policies in the context of globalisation; (2) use media as a medium to disseminate information Media workshops; distribution of publication material (1) Innovative practice (2) innovative practice Grassroots CSOs(1) Capacity-building of grassroots CSOs on economic dimensions of globalisationn and WTO; (2) Creating a network of CSOs at the which informed by the debate on WTO would carry the process forward Workshops, seminars, involving them in organising outreach meetings, distribution of publication material (1) Innovative Practice** (2) Innovative Practice ** * The focus on generating alternative marketing avenues to a large extent emanated from the feedback received from of farmers, artisans and producers at some of the outreach meetings. In UP it was found to be most effective. In the case of Karnataka, Rajasthan, advocacy made them aware about existing alternatives away from moneylenders but no actual marketing channels were instituted. In West Bengal some direct marketing channels are being attempted. ** In the case of Karnataka, it was very effective followed by UP and West Bengal. In Rajasthan, isolated instances of grassroots networking with other CSOs were reported.

Lessons Learnt Different advocacy practices are effective on different stakeholders. Different advocacy practices are effective on different stakeholders. Outreach meetings: most effective tool for awareness generation and ascertaining peoples perceptions at the grassroots. Outreach meetings: most effective tool for awareness generation and ascertaining peoples perceptions at the grassroots. Capacity building and training workshop Capacity building and training workshop reasonably effective for media representatives and partner CSO’s as also publications. reasonably effective for media representatives and partner CSO’s as also publications. Government officials and policy makers Government officials and policy makers a multi pronged approach including personal pursuance, capacity-building and training workshop, specific publication; delegations, signature campaigns, etc. are useful advocacy tools a multi pronged approach including personal pursuance, capacity-building and training workshop, specific publication; delegations, signature campaigns, etc. are useful advocacy tools Overall success was limited Overall success was limited Different approach and medium of communication for diverse stakeholders. Different approach and medium of communication for diverse stakeholders. use of local language. use of local language. Contextual specificity important. Contextual specificity important. C ollective effort rather than individual effort is of utmost importance in making a meaningful intervention C ollective effort rather than individual effort is of utmost importance in making a meaningful intervention

Conclusions Access of public to trade policy-making is actively denied: Access of public to trade policy-making is actively denied: Intransigence of government officials to respond to ground reality Intransigence of government officials to respond to ground reality Transparency and accountability in public policy process absent. Transparency and accountability in public policy process absent. VeneKlasen and Miller: VeneKlasen and Miller: although a key advocacy goal is to create opportunities for citizen’s groups to be directly engaged in policy processes, engagement does not always impact policy decisions in the end. It is easy to believe that access to policymakers will translate into influence, but in practice this is rarely true (emphasis added). Influence of CSOs in the policy- making domain is more if they claim the space rather than being invited Influence of CSOs in the policy- making domain is more if they claim the space rather than being invited Claming and creating that space in the policy domain should be priority of advocacy in future Claming and creating that space in the policy domain should be priority of advocacy in future