The document discusses developing effective relations with the government. It emphasizes understanding the political system and logic, including that politics is shaped by reflexivity between media, public and politicians. Developing a strategy requires analyzing decision-makers, crafting relevant messages, and positioning issues. Building strong government relations requires knowing stakeholders, showing alternatives, and leveraging local networks to influence the political situation.

1. Government relations
Developing relations to the government: Pitfalls and success factors
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2. Agenda
• Understanding of the political system (from the inside)
– The political situation
• Understanding of the political logic
– The reflexivity of politics
• Developing effective relations to the government
– Pitfalls and success factors
• Methodology
• Messaging
• Conclusions
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3. Every political strategy need to start with a deep understanding of
THE POLITICAL SYSTEM
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4. The fundamental basics
• Always more need than
recourses
• Battle between interest for the
limited resources available
• Economics is the fundament
for politics
• The more money you get, the
more political you become
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5. Income
Employer- and VAT
sosial security tax
Taxes on income and
Income from the
wealth
Petroleumum sector
Other income
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6. Expenses
Transfers to municipalities Health sector
and counties
Payroll and
operating expenses to
the state
Payments to social
security
Other expenses
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7. The challenge for Norwegian economy the next years
• Government debt is increasing
rapidly in Europe and USA
• Reductions in public spending
• Possibility for reduced
economic growth
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8. Demographics and future income from the petroleum fund
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9. Majority of the population has been outside the private sector
since 1980
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10. Voting behavior in relation to private and public sector
50 47,1
44,6
45
Stat
40
Kommune
35
27,8
28 Privat
30
25 23,4
20
13,5 13,7
15 11,5 10,2 10,5
8,6 8,7
10 7,8
5,6 4,5
5,4 3,9 5,5 4,3 4,6 4,8
5
0
Ap FrP H KrF SP SV V
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11. Polarization of Norwegian politics
Ap SV SP H KrF V FrP
64 11 11
30 10 2 40
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12. Power is kept in the government
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13. How to influence political decisions effectively
EFFECTIVE INFLUENCING
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14. The core of effective political influencing
Political influencing is about leveraging yourself amongst other good
purposes.
Political support is not enough,
it has to hurt not to support your interest/ case.
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15. Focus on the desired political outcome
Your own position in the political process is just a mean to
reach the desired political outcome.
Your public profile is a mean to empower yourself to influence
effectively, not to influence directly.
Give the decision maker, or stakeholders near the decision
maker, the honor/benefit of the political solution, political
idea you present.
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16. ”We need to do something, this is something, therefore we must do it”
(Yes Primeminister, BBC)
THE REFLEXIVITY OF POLITICS
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17. What is the reflexivity politics?
• Democratic politics has always been a reflection of the public majority's perception
• Media has in the information age the power to interpret the perception of reality, and trough that
the power to steer the policy development. Media replaces class, family and culture as reference
for interpretation.
• The reflexive effects between media, public and politics becomes deciding for the policy
development.
Public
Media
Politics
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18. Politics is shaped in a room of reflexivity
• Politics is developed in a reflexive space – involving the
public, the economy and execution of authority:
– The public governs policy development
• Public focus on weak/wrongful execution of power results in
demands for a new policy – demands for action
• Politics becomes a reflection of how
economic, legal, bureaucratic and political power is executed and
interpreted among the public
• The higher the symbolic value, the stronger the
political repercussions
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20. Sir Humphrey: Something must be done!
Sir Humphreys political
syllogism*:
1. Something must be done
2. This is something
3. Therefore we must do it
* syllogism (Greek), A type of logical argument first studied by Aristotle, in which one proposition (the conclusion) is
inferred from two others (the premises) of a certain form. In a valid syllogism, the proposition follows as a logical
conclusion from the premises.
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21. Consequence:
– There are only 22 percent of the members of Parliament who think it is the
political system who sets the political agenda. 71 percent think it is the
journalists and media who control the public debate.
– As much as 67 percent of the representatives answers that the media has great
or some influence when they are going to decide in a political case.
– Four percent of the representatives think it is economic interests which often set
the agenda, one present think it is NGOs
(Survey by Respons April 2009)
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22. Basic methodology
GOVERNMENT RELATIONS
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23. Central elements of a political strategy
Decision makers
Message
Media
Scenario
Goal
Analysis
Alliances
Profile
Society
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24. Political positioning
High
Leading political
movement
Important but
unknown
Unique and relevant
New political
movement Dinosaur
Low
Low High
Knowledge
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25. Decision analysis
Premise providers
Advisors Colleagues
Decision Maker III
Advisors Advisors
Decision Maker II
Decision Maker I
Premise providers Premise providers
Decision
Colleagues
Colleagues
Decision Maker IV
Advisors Colleagues
Premise providers
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26. Relation analysis
Political segment
Political segment
Political segment
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27. Stakeholder mapping
Influence
Foe Friend
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28. How to develop effective political messages?
MESSAGING
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29. Political messaging is about…
RELEVANCE
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30. Strategic communications: Define the debate
What separates good communicators from the mediocre
is a conscious awareness of their own linguistic universe
which enables them to define debates
Cognitive linguistics seeks to understand the nature of
language, how we use it, and why we are convinced, by
exploring the unconscious.
“Framing is about getting a language that fits your
worldview. It is not just language. The ideas are
primary – and the language carries those ideas, evokes
those ideas.” (George Lakoff )
George Lakoff
Professor i lingvistikk UC
Berkeley
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31. ”Monstermaster” (Monster lines)
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32. The most powerful messages is emotional
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33. Values: How do I
feel about it?
Subjective advantages:
What does this mean
for me?
Functional meaning: How does it
work?
Function: What is it?
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34. How to build strong government relations
CONCLUSIONS
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35. 1. Analyze what you would like to achieve
– Does it require an amendment?
– Is it an ideological issue?
– Is it a smaller concrete case?
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36. 2. Know the people
– Who is it necessary to influence?
– Where do they stand within their own party?
– What is their position within their own party, and the government?
– What do they burn for?
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37. 3. Don’t under estimate the Parliament
– The parliamentary groups to the governing party's have significant influence in the government.
– Central MPs has easy access, and is listened too by the Ministers
– The Groups, and the MPs, do sometimes have a different agenda then the government
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38. 4. The opposition is useful with a majority government too
– The opposition has power when it appears with attractive solutions for the voters.
• No government can in the long run live with a situation where the opposition appears with more
attractive solutions than the government.
• The opposition has power to enlighten issues which harms the government
– The opposition is the next government
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39. A B C D
5. Show your alternative
– Very often we see that various interests criticize the government without having any concrete
alternatives to the current policies
– A clear success factor is to be clear and specific on what you want. You need to develop a holistic
alternative:
• It increases the likelihood that the government takes implements your alternative in its policy
• Alternatively, it can be the basis for a prolonged pressure by the opposition, who always are
looking for well considered and specific alternatives to the policies of the government.
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40. 6. Know the political situation and the political reality
– What is the political situation in the government, within the opposition, in the various political
parties and between the government and Parliament?
– What issues is dominating the media?
– What issues has the potential to move voters?
– What arguments will be valid within the rhetorical reality?
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41. Hvordan påvirke lokalt
7. Use local networks – Norwegian politics is more local than
national
 Local politicians
 Local organizations
 Local spokespersons
 Local media
 Local business
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