POLI 316-Midterm Exam

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Midterm Exam Part One: Essay Question (75%) What is an advocacy group? Are advocacy groups good or bad for democracy? Why? In a democratic state, there are two main aspects that must be present, contestation which is the idea that there is competition for governance and rule by the people. Advocacy groups are as described as “[...] groups acting for the best interests of members as well as groups acting to promote their opinions on an issue in which they do not have direct interest” 1 . Advocacy groups are a hegemonic factor to democracies because of the concept of puzzling and frameworks, competition amongst the political parties and the policy cycle. To begin with, advocacy groups aim is to influence public policy and not to take part in governing. In other words, the groups will talk with political party leaders, influential political actors and individuals in order to promote their cause; a concept called puzzling. It allows for a more informative debate to take place between policymakers as well. For instance, the policy process entails three approaches, the policy instruments and narratives as well as framework. The policy narratives and framework helps build and mobilize groups and also help break down policies to understand how they fit together. 2 This process builds a narrative for the policy to be better understood and promoted by the advocacy group. 1 (Young, Everitt, 2004, p.5) 2 (Schwartz, Sept. 20, 2021)

Furthermore, in democracies power is divided through political parties and each party has their own individual political platform. Evidence-based policy is a influential form of decision making, it allows for parties to interpret the findings in their own world view 3 . Selection of the government allows citizens to help “[...] shape not only [...] the internal functioning of the state, but also [...] how markets for particular goods and service will function” 4 . This is crucial in democracies because it permits the people within society to select what opinion suits them best based on the evidence present. Moreover, political parties will sometimes have contrasting or similar social structures, such as economic, demographic or historic and geographic. Policy making is a political process in which competitive interests will impact to control the policy process by directing the language of the policy making. 5 In addition, the formulation of policy goes through a set of steps called the policy cycle, mapped out in 1956. The policy cycle emcompasses four steps; agenda setting, policy formulation, decision making and implementation, evaluation and maintenance. 6 These steps are not necessarily followed in order however they provide guidance for policymakers. The step of agenda setting is where advocacy groups will have the most influence because it is where the nature of the problem is discussed and the priorities are focused on. The latter is the principal course of action in developing policies in democracies because it will lay out a policy that has been analyzed comprehensively. 3 (Schwartz, Sept. 20, 2021) 4 (Howlett et al. 2009) 5 (Schwartz, Sept 20, 2021) 6 (Schwartz, Sept. 20, 2021)

In conclusion, advocacy groups are essential in a democratic regime because their aim is to influence policy through the concept of frameworks and puzzling, adding diversity to the political platform of the parties and helping them create an agenda setting. The interests of advocacy groups are supported by the people which is an important element of democracy. Part Two: Advocacy Campaign Activity (25%) Group Name/Campaign Name : Healthcare Workers Association of Canada (HWAC) Campaign “Healthcare Needs Its Heroes” About the Group : The Healthcare Workers Association of Canada (HWAC) is an advocacy group which promotes and protects the interest of public healthcare workers by respecting the Canadian Health Act. The HWAC has engaged in the media and government relations in order for healthcare issues to be understood and fought for, such as PharmaCare. The members of our group include members of the Canadian Medical Association, pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, members of the Canadian Dental Association and the citizens of Canada. About the “Healthcare Needs Its Heroes” Campaign : The aim of this campaign is to influence the government to get rid of the policy recently introduced, to remove all healthcare staff who are not vaccinated. We are trying to reach out to all, from citizens of the society of Canada and all government members and leaders. The latter is due to this campaign being a collective benefit 7 , the aim of the campaign will be convenient to all citizens because healthcare establishments will be fully staffed and functioning more fluently. The policy could be framed in a moral, public health and economic frame which is an important tool to influence the policy agenda 8 . Moreover, frames are “[...] passive and structured [...] people are active in constructing them.” 9 In other words, it allows for the policy to be sectioned off and viewed from different perspectives therefore will gain more individuals and political 7 (Schwartz, Oct. 4, 2021) 8 (Schwartz, Oct 18. 2021) 9 (McAdam, McCarthy & Zald, 1996)

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