ELEVATING THE STATUS AND REPUTATION OF GOVERNMENT RELATIONS/PUBLIC POLICY ADVOCACY

There is often a gap between the ideal and the reality of government relations/public policy advocacy in practice – a matter of concern to many, including students of the discipline. As an occupation, government relations/public policy advocacy is not free of the concerns of its students, academics and professionals.

There are many attempts and classifications to describe what a profession is and what characteristics of a profession are. When we think of a profession, we think of a work/job in which a person is engaged and by which a person earns his own living regularly. In other words, in a profession, we think of several social processes to be fulfilled which should be within a legal framework.

Intellectual tradition and a body of knowledge, membership to professional organizations, a set of professional values and adherence to professional norms, continuing education, ethical values/conduct, social duty and responsibility, examination and certification by a governing body, possible licensing and acceptance of duty to a broader society are some of the characteristics of a profession mentioned by scholars. When we analyze the field of government relations/public policy advocacy in terms of each of the characteristics mentioned, it seems that we are not yet there in some of them.

It is true that in terms of educational programmes academically or the establishment of professional associations or ongoing educational programmes, government relations/public policy advocacy has blossomed. But in not dealing with some of the other issues it implies that in government relations/public policy advocacy we think we are done with the process, are not revisiting it – not even bothering with it. In other words, we underrate the problematic areas.

The reason why we don’t address professionalism issues/standards sufficiently is that it does not immediately serve a purpose. Dealing with other more trendy topics that can shape our profession and thus show the impact we make for our clients or equip students with more appreciated tools such as social media and corporate responsibility skills seem more down to earth.

Despite the many positive developments in our field, one thing that has lagged behind is our showing students and clients what we stand for, what should be demanded from us and what we should be doing.

Players in the field of government relations/public policy advocacy must consider the image of government relations/public policy advocacy and its perception. How do we achieve the best standards, and how do we inculcate our true role? Each party in the chain, the practitioner, the academic, the student and the professional association should have a clear role.

The development of professional standards, discussion about them and applying them will help to elevate the status and reputation of government relations/public policy advocacy. Professional standards and competencies should be discussed. Moreover, the accountability of our words and deeds should be demanded from us. We need to:

• Explain what we stand for,
• Show what our contribution is and how we complement and supplement other communication disciplines,
• Demonstrate that we should work at management level,
• Show that we should start with research,
• Show why research is necessary,
• Emphasize that the public interest is of utmost importance,
• Profit from the body of knowledge in the field and related fields,
• Think of our professional standards.