The Advocacy Planning Framework builds on one of the main outcomes of the work from the Bridging Research and Policy project1 : the Research and Policy In Development (RAPID) framework.2 The main focus of the RAPID framework was to describe what is referred to as the “knowledge-policy nexus” in transition and developing countries, that is, the key elements of how research evidence becomes part of a target policymaking process.3 Our focus was to turn this very useful research outcome into a practical tool for the day-to-day planning of advocacy campaigns. With this focus, we have developed what we simply call the Advocacy Planning Framework or APF, for short.
In the last chapter, we defined successful advocacy as a process through which the main target audiences, including decisionmakers need to build ownership of the ideas and proposals put forward, which will then direct them in leading any upcoming decision. If this is the ultimate goal, APF provides the foundation for advocates to map out their target policymaking process and though the mapping answer the key advocacy planning questions necessary to give them the best possible chance of achieving their specified goal.
Figure 4.
The Advocacy Planning Framework (APF)
The diagram above illustrates that APF is a multidimensional mapping and planning tool that is built around three main pillars or circles and a strategic core, that is, the overlap in the center. This core overlap represents the target outcome of the planning process: a strategy for realistic policy change. The three overlapping circles of the APF provide a foundation and direction for an in-depth mapping and planning process by presenting a set of questions that are key to planning any advocacy campaign:
- Way into the process—what is the best approach to get your ideas into the target policy debate and who will be your target audience(s)?
- The messenger—who should lead or be the face of the campaign and what kind of support do you need from others?
- Messages and activities—what can you say to the key target audiences that will engage and convince them and how can you best communicate that message to them through carefully chosen advocacy activities and communication tools?
Hence, the title of each circle indicates the decisions you will have made upon completing the mapping and planning process for that circle. We develop the three circles separately in chapters 4, 5, and 6. However, it is also important to note that the overlap between the three individual circles is integral to the architecture of the APF as one circle influences and feeds into the planning for the others. To give just one example: in planning your advocacy messages and activities, you will draw on insights from the mapping completed in the “way into the process” element to ensure that your messages are framed to fit the current debate and are chosen to appeal to or appease those whose positions need to shift in order for the policymaking process to move in your intended direction.
By working with the APF to develop answers to the key interdependent questions in each circle, you can plan a nuanced approach to mediate between what you want to achieve and what is possible in the policymaking process and this should generate the best possible chance to achieve policy influence, that is, to locate the core overlapping part of the circles or the core strategic focus of your campaign. In targeting the strategic core, you are continually looking to develop targeted and nuanced answers to three questions:
- Current obstacles to change—what is currently blocking the policymaking process from moving in the direction you want?
- The leverage you can bring and use—what can you bring to and use in the process to move it in the direction you wish?
- A feasible policy objective—considering the obstacles that exist and the leverage you have, how far do you think you can move the process?
These three interrelated questions of the core element of the APF are fleshed out in the next section.