This document discusses public relations roles in government relations and legislation. It notes the increasing partnership between business and government with improved communication. Effective legislative relations requires being nonpartisan, respecting employee political liberties, giving issues mature study weighing public interest, and educating employees on practical politics. Public relations in government is justified by the public's right to know and governments need for public input. However, public relations faces criticisms like encouraging gridlock or extremism. Citizen participation is important but slows processes. Political campaigns also benefit from public relations to understand constituents. Maintaining an informed public is a primary government public relations role, but faces barriers like public apathy and legislative hostility.

1. Presented by: Akansha Singh(8392) Ekta Singh(8394) Government Relations

2. Introduction An important development in PR has been the closer relationship between corporation, association, and unions and the Government and the greater involvement on private institutions in public affairs. The attitude of business executives toward government appears to be changing, characterized less now by suspicion and distrust and more by respect and confidence. This shift in direction can continue as the quality of government-business communication improves; with; one hopes the ultimate result of developing a profitable partnership between business; labor, and government. Increasingly; the interest of business and governmental are becoming synthesized to their common advantage; and business is looking upon government not as an adversary but as a working partner.

3. There is an increasing recognition on the part of business executives of the importance of developing an effective partnership with government. The approach would suggest that as, partners, government and business have the same basic goals; and that each should strive to shape a real understanding of the other’s role. Facing up the differences but maintaining a constructive point of view, both business and government can become parts of the problem.

4. Legislation Relations Corporate policy on political participation varies with different companies. Obviously, any legislative-relations program must be planned and implemented only after thorough research into company policy beginning with consultation with management. The following principles, however, are suggested as a checklist in setting up the foundations for an effective Legislation Relations Program.

5. A political program should be strictly nonpartisan and take no stand on candidates or parties. Good government can be achieved only by encouraging able people to become active in all political parties. Legislative programs should respect the political liberties of employees and not attempt to regiment their thinking or political behavior. A business should assume an obligation to give political issues mature study and weigh them in terms of the public interest. Information on the political environment of plant communities, the local political structure, political issues , and developments affecting the business climate should be obtained.

6. The position of elected representatives on national, state and local controversial issue that affect business should be studied continuously. All employees should be educated in practical politics and encouraged to take an active interest in the party of their choice without prejudice to their status. Etc.

7. Public Relation Role in Government The rational for public relation in government is built upon two basic facts The public has a right to know ; hence , government officials have a responsibility to report to the citizens There is a need for officials to receive input from the public on new issues and social forces, to secure citizen participation and support Only through such a communication process the government and electorate achieve a positive sense of unity

8. Criticisms of the Public Relations Function PR Encourages Unstable Coalitions and Legislative Gridlock Small Parties Have Too Much Power in Coalition Governments PR Requires More Expensive Campaigns PR Voting is Too Complicated and Will Confuse Voters PR Weakens the Constituency Proportional Representation Encourages Extremism PR Increases the Administrative Complexity and Expense of Elections PR Requires Votes for Party Slates Rather than Individual Candidates PR Systems are Unconstitutional

11. Contd. Public involvement typically slows and complicate the process, but it nonetheless increases government responsiveness. For example, the city of Springfield, Missouri, invested million of dollars in a renovation project for its 1930-era city hall that emphasized citizen-customer service, convenience, and comfort, the renovation was accompanied by a system of touch-screen kiosks throughout the community which guides citizens through the maze of local government.

12. Political Campaigns PR is essential in political campaigning . A candidate for public office must know enough about his or her constituents and their attitudes and opinions and predict how they’ll react to various issues and understand why they react as they do. Likewise, the candidate must be able to utilize to the best effect all available media in order to communicate his/her platform or proposed program. Opinion research and communications are the foundations of both successful campaigns and continuing efficient service to the public.

13. Maintaining an informed citizenry The primary job of govt. PR practitioners is to inform A multitude of other roles and responsibilities are assigned to specific govt. practitioners , many of enormous importance and scope, but ensuring the constant flow of information to persons inside and outside the govt. is generally speaking the priority. The information task is global, because the need to inform extends well beyond U.S borders. For eg. America maintains united states information agency (USIA) for this reason.

14. Barriers to Effective Government Public Relations PR practitioners in government shape much of the meaningful dialog necessary to make democracy work. Their work carries with it a civic obligation to serve as intermediaries between elected official and staff and their citizen constituency. Yet the work of building and maintaining government and citizen relationships is hampered by two major factors:

16. Public Apathy Is a feeling of having no interest in or enthusiasm about anything, or of not being willing to make any effort to change things Public Apathy is an indisputable fact of public life. Unlike most business operations, government practitioners usually cannot target small segments of broad publics to achieve desired and ignore the rest of the people. For example; An automobile company may be satisfied with achieving success with 10-20% of the car-buying adults in the company

17. Legislative Hostility In government, public relations is a legitimate management function that helps in making agencies, departments, and other public entities responsive to the citizens they were created to serve. Legislative opposition to the function at all levels has led to legal restrictions, circumvention of budgetary procedures, and wasteful practices designed to conceal legitimate government functioning. Legislative Hostility and self serving posturing by elected and appointed professionals to shy away from government services

18. Lobbying and Federal Government Relations In its broader sense, it is often used interchangeably with the term pressure group to mean any organization or person that carries on activities which have as their ultimate aim to influence the decision of the state and local legislatures or of government administrative agencies. In its narrower sense, it means any person who, on behalf of some other people or group, and usually for pay, attempts to influence legislation through direct contact with legislators.

19. Contd. The lobbying law has been described as a vague and badly worded statute. Its most questionable feature is the “principal purpose” clause, which defines a lobbyist as a person whose “principal purpose is lobbying” The law applies only to direct communication with the members of the party, while many attempts to influence legislation are designed to persuade voters to appeal to their partymen or women to favor or oppose legislation.