21603 Chap.13 Elite-focussed Advocacy
Elite-focussed Advocacy
Advocacy aimed at the top
Week 7 treats elite-focussed advocacy as the top-down half of a pair, with community-based advocacy as the bottom-up half.
Here the target is the person who holds formal power, reached through the usual channels of the state: private meetings, written submissions, inquiries, courts and the news.
Three principles and their price
The approach rests on relationships with decision-makers, on established institutions and on leaving existing power structures in place.
That last principle is also its weakness, because it tends to deliver small, incremental gains and to amplify voices that already carry weight.
Getting a politician to act
The week’s slides give a five-stage sequence for a pitch, and the LCSA reading explains what elected members want from advocates: local connection, visibility, recognition and requests they can deliver quickly.
Philanthropy, lobbying and broadcast media complete the toolkit.
What this chapter covers
- 01
Top-down versus bottom-up advocacy
- 02
Three principles of elite-focussed work
- 03
Philanthropy, lobbying and broadcast media
- 04
Elite strategies and tactics
- 05
Pitching to a politician in five stages
- 06
Planning a meeting with an adviser
Worked example · free
Shape a short pitch to the arts minister with the five-stage funnel
- 1Audience: the arts minister sets the touring-grant guidelines, so she can make the change without new legislation.
- 1Value: the network speaks for centres in electorates the government holds, and the minister is standing in one of them.
- 1Problem: regional galleries lose touring shows whenever no city company will partner them, so audiences outside the capital miss out.
- 1Solution: let regional centres apply directly from the same grant pool, which adds no cost to the budget.
- 1Outcome: ask whether her adviser will meet the network next month to discuss a one-year trial.
Key terms
- Elite-focussed Advocacy
- Advocacy that seeks change by influencing people with formal decision-making power through the established institutions of the state.
- Lobbying
- Direct, often private, communication with decision-makers intended to persuade them to adopt or reject a particular policy.
- Policy Adviser
- A member of a minister’s staff who briefs the minister and often acts as the practical route to a decision.
- Policy Submission
- A written document sent to a government process or inquiry that sets out a group’s evidence and recommendations.
Elite-focussed Advocacy FAQ
What makes advocacy elite-focussed rather than community-based?
Elite-focussed advocacy goes straight to people who hold formal power and works through institutions such as parliament, the courts and the media. Community-based advocacy instead builds power among the people affected and relies on their participation. The subject describes the first as top-down and the second as bottom-up.
Is lobbying always a bad thing?
No. Lobbying is simply direct communication with decision-makers, and community groups use it as well as corporations. The concern raised in the subject is about access: private relationships favour people who already hold power or resemble those who do, and lobbying firms hire former politicians and staff to exploit that advantage.
How should I prepare to meet a politician?
Decide the purpose and the three outcomes you want, agree who will speak on which point, research the politician’s past statements and interests, and bring a short fact sheet with contact details. During the meeting, confirm any commitments aloud, and afterwards send thanks and follow up on what was promised.
What are the main weaknesses of elite-focussed advocacy?
It leaves the existing hierarchy intact, so power rarely shifts and new elites may simply replace old ones. Gains are usually small and incremental, and the groups heard most are those that already carry influence, which can leave marginalised communities outside the conversation.
Why do advocates still use broadcast media in elite campaigns?
Politicians pay close attention to newspapers, radio and television because the news of the day shapes the political agenda. Appearing there gives advocates legitimacy and reach. The subject adds a caution that every outlet has a political position, so the choice of outlet matters.
Assessment move
This week, pick one issue you might use in Assessment 3 and identify the single person with power to decide it, then list the formal channels that lead to them: a submission, an inquiry, an adviser, a local MP or a court. Draft a five-line pitch using audience, value, problem, solution and outcome, and test whether the last line is a request the decision-maker could agree to immediately.
Next, write two sentences on who would be left unheard if the campaign relied only on these channels. Those two sentences are useful material for the systemic advocacy criterion. When the pitch feels too broad, ask Sia to cut it back to one realistic next step for the politician.
Working through Elite-focussed Advocacy in 21603? Sia is AskSia’s AI Management tutor — ask any 21603 Elite-focussed Advocacy question and get a clear, step-by-step explanation grounded in how 21603 is taught and assessed. Read this chapter free, then take your hardest questions to Sia.