Baela Raza Jamil June 4, 2014

Converting Research into Advocacy

Voice & Accountability Capacity Building

Workshop

From Research to Advocacy – Session Flow

Part I

• Grantees Profile and Needs

• Advocacy – Meaning/ Strategies/Formats

• Case of ASER Pakistan

Part II

• Introduction to the Case Study

• Exercise

Research tools used most often

Focus Groups

Interviews case studies Secondary analysis of

data

Statistical models

HH Surveys School level survey

Others

Qualitative Research Quantitative Research

0

4

8

12

16

20

1214

6

11

58

62

33

82

4

46

1

21 4

31 2

1

2

34 2

2

1 2 3 4 5

16 GranteesNational 16Provincial 10District 10 UC 08

Priority skills required Using Research for Advocacy- Impact

Power analysis

Analysis of the situation

Identifying advocacy targets and influential

Setting clear advocacy goals

Developing and advocacy plan

Identifying appropriate level of engagement

Selecting/gathering evidence

Planning for Sustainability of Impact

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18

11

12

14

14

15

15

15

17

Organizational Capacity – Research & Advocacy

Report

Writi

ng

Identifyi

ng prio

rity r

esearc

h questions

Use of d

ata Analy

sis So

ftware &

Syste

ms048

121620

11 107

Highest Capcity Medium Capcity Lowest Capcity

0

8

16 159

4

High Medium Low

RESEARCH ADVOCACYF

oc

us

Purposeful

ADVOCACY

Social discontent

Evidence Based Awareness

Call to Action

ASKS Differentiated

By Target Groups

Policy Change & Implementation

Research CSOs/Think Tanks

GrassrootsDistrict

Prov. Nat’l

From Discontent to Research to Advocacy for Change, Rights & Public Good

Change for Rights &

Public Good

EducationEntitlementChallenges

Entry points

What is Advocacy ? (Intrac 2008)

Advocacy is :speaking up, drawing attention to an important issue and directing decision makers towards a solution- rights based activism

Advocacy describes a method or approach to:• Change policies and practices • Reform institutions • Alter power relations • Change attitudes and behaviors• Give project work greater impact

“Advocacy can be defined as action aimed at changing the policies, position and programmes of governments, institutions or organisations involving an organised, systematic influencing process on matters of public interest. In addition, advocacy can be a social change process affecting attitudes, social relationship and power relations, which strengthens civil society and opens up democratic spaces.”(working for change in Education – A handbook for planning advocacy, Save the Children Fund, UK

Advocacy Strategic Planning Model

Research

Issues/Problems

Goals/Objectives

Strategy Development•Coalition building•Networking•Institution building•Sensitization.. Etc.

OutputsOutcomes Pre-testing & Piloting

Implementation

ImpactEvaluation

Monitoring

Key steps for strategy formulation

Identification and analysis of advocacy issues

Identification and analysis of stakeholders

Formulation of measurable objectives

Developing core advocacy messages

Developing the strategy ( approaches, techniques, messages and materials)

Developing advocacy action plan

Planning monitoring and evaluation

Issue selection framework

Criteria for selecting issuesScore

1 2 3

The issue affects many people

The issue has a significant impact on education as a fundamental right – its key indicators

The issue is consistent with your organization’s mission/mandate

The issue is consistent with national /provincial education development objectives

The issue is amenable to advocacy intervention

The issue can mobilize a large number of interested partners and other stakeholders

Total score (1=lo; 3= hi)

Understanding Your Stakeholders- Partners/Allies ; Decision Makers, Resistant Groups

Size, (number), location, sex etc. Knowledge about the advocacy issue

PARTNERS & ALLIES

• Strengths – size of population covered by networks

• Networking i.e. media relations, community mobilization

• Past experience , expertise in the area of advocacy

• Willingness to share experience, expertise, resources

• Expectations from joining the partnership

DECISION MAKERS

• Channels for reaching the decision maker

• Special skills i.e. good speaker, good negotiators

• Political standing of the decision maker on the issue

• Is the decision maker supporting the issue? If not, why?

• Will she/he be willing to speak in support of the issue in public or through mass media?

RESISTANT GROUPS

• Reason for resistance/opposition

• How to reach them?• Whom they consult/get

advice from?

Major areas and partners of advocacy • Leadership development (Vision/Values/ASKs through capacity

building in evidence based work- Decision Makers• Creating Social Capital across citizens’ groups – based on ‘rights and

entitlements”- capacity building -Allies and Partners- Beneficiaries/Communities

• Coalition building(youth, teachers, SMCs, CSOs etc)• Networking with a purpose

• Media Partnerships for Learning – Allies /Resistant groups• Political Lobbying – Adversaries /Resistant groups • Promoting legislative /Policy & budgetary change- Decision makers

Primary & Secondary Objectives for Advocacy

Prim

ary

Obj

ectiv

es

for A

dvoc

acy Changes in laws and policies

• Implementation of laws and policies • Reform of institutions• Changes in attitudes and behaviors • Increasing democratic space-

legitimacy of civil groups, freedom of information and space to speak out

• Civil society gains- increased cooperation, solidarity

• South-North partnership gains- reduced dependence

Seco

ndar

y O

bjec

tives

fo

r Adv

ocac

y Getting the issue on the agenda for public debate• Increasing support and

active membership • Fundraising • Developing the profile and

reputation of your organization

Source: INTRAC (2008) Session 12.3 Handout , Oxfam Hong Kong

Developing Advocacy Objectives

Specific Measurable Attainable Result-oriented Time bound

S M A R T SMART

Segmenting our Audience for Advocacy and Instruments of Research and Advocacy:Local/District Levels – An optional exerciseDemand & Supply Side – Research and Advocacy Tools – According to your Project’s Phased approach Target Groups Listing – Begin from Bottoms Up Approach /Grassroots – Working upwards to Policy Makers

Research Tools – First 4 columns Advocacy Tools Next 5 columns/Add more +HH/Community Tehsil/Below

Parents Youth Students Community Teachers Teachers Unions Counselors LHWs Field Ed Personnel – Tehsil/below

CSOs District Level Provincial Level National Level

Elements of a message

Description of the issue/problemMagnitude of the issue/problem

Adverse impact of the problem on the population or groups of population

What stakeholder/s can do to address the issue

Message for Decision Makers

Message for Partners and Allies

Message for Resistant Groups

How to involve media?

•Establish personal relation•Letters, telephone calls, office calls• Invitation to high profile events•Orientation seminars• In-country/ outside country visits•Arranging interviews with high-profile people•Regular dissemination of up-to-date information/data

Message formats & what attracts media • Press release• Press conference• Fact sheets/ background

sheets• Press kit/media packets• Editorials• Letters to editor

• Controversial• Sensational• New discoveries• Highly visual• Fast moving• Unusual and odd events

Advocacy materials

•Print materials• Fact sheets, hand outs, leaflets, booklets

•Pictures & audio-visual materials• Still pictures, slide sets, video/documentaries

•Social Media in all emergent forms• Key findings, messages, comments, images…

MONITORING Continuous• Tracks Progress• Answers what activities were implemented &

results achieved

• Self-assessment by project management

• Alerts managers to problems

Monitoring covers :

• Inputs – Activities- Results -

• Each one has its own indicators

EVALUATIONPeriodic

• In-depth analysis of actual vs. planned achievements

• Answers how and why results were achieved; future impact

• Internal and/or external exercise

• Gives managers strategy and policy options

Helps to :

• Improve design (effectiveness/relevance)

• to judge program effectiveness and

• to generate knowledge about the best practices, lessons learned

Monitoring versus Evaluation

A Social Movement : Mobilizing Social Capital for

Learning & Social Transformation

Why ASER?

The Need for Large

Scale Citizen

Led Assessme

nts

• Education is an important engine for economic, societal and personal growth- a fundamental right

• Governments have adhoc arrangements for assessing primary & middle level learning outcomes consistency & transparency is required.

• Governments /providers/donors input driven not focused on whether children are ‘learning’

• CSOs are coming together to mobilize parents /communities to strengthen learning & teaching based on evidence, accessible to ALL across country.

• Lively & growing education research community to interrogate learning outcomes & pedagogies that work.

Building

capacity to conduct survey

Building capacity to disseminate

results

Improved Extra

Ordinary People

Volunteers need to have at least 12 years of education

Call for citizens to come together! Over 65,000 World Wide – 10,000 in Pakistan!

Transforming ordinary into extra-ordinary people

BUILDING CAPABILITIES FOR ACTIONEACH COUNTRY HAS ITS OWN MODEL

A South – South Citizens’ Social Movement

“ …social capital refers to connections among individuals – social networks; the norms of reciprocity and trustworthiness that arise from them. Social capital as “civic virtue” – through civil society for democracy (R. Putnam 2000)

• Provision of Dataset on:• Learning

Outcomes• Equity,

Access• School

Facilities• highlight

status of a RIGHT right

Objective

• Trainings• Field Survey• Data Collection • Finalizing

Reports:• National• Provincial• District

• Policy Briefs• District Report

Cards

EvidenceANALYZE • Report Launches

• National, Provincial, District

• Policy Dialogues• Regional /Local

• Village Gatherings• CSO Coalition

Meetings• Media Training • Mass

Dissemination• Poster ( target/

actions based)

AdvocacyPUBLICISE

• Informs RTE debate /laws

• Led to High level Endorsements

• Provided Baseline for Provincial Sector Plans

• Influenced politicians’ agenda campaigns

• Media Campaigns • Triggered

Research; raw data- nat’l/int’l

ImpactTAKE ACTION

Civil Society and Social Capital Formation

IMPLEMENTATION & ADVOCACY CYCLE

The Rigor & Stages of Mobilization

Seeking Stakeholders Attention:Building Social Capital for Social Accountability

• Politicians• Parliamentarians• Bureaucrats • Judiciary & Judicial

Academies

Decision Makers

• Children• Parents / Community• Teachers/ Associations• Youth• Media• Academia / Think tanks

Beneficiaries Partners

Social Accountability are actions by citizens and civil society organization (CSOs) aimed at holding the state to account, includes efforts by government and other actors (media, private sector, donors) to support these actions.” UNDP 2010

Survey Tools

Village Community

engagement- mapping conversations

Government School

Observation

Private School

Observation

HouseholdChildren’s assessment

Parents survey

SUPPLY SIDEDEMAND SIDE

ASER Advocacy Model

• Village Baithak (Community gatherings)• Youth Networks (Survey and

Dissemination) • Teacher Katcheries (Teacher Gatherings)• Media Training • Case Studies and Stories of Citizen Voice

Demand Side

• Policy seminars/dialogues – thematic e.g. OOSC /Gender /ECE/Private Sector/Tuitions

• Mobilization Govt. officials• Political Leaders- Parliamentarians • Briefing to assessment research institutions/

universities (many) SDPI, PILDAT, IDEAS– informing/influencing Decision Makers

Supply Side

Advocacy tools: various levels

• Survey - Children’s Learning Assessment –create spaces for change conversations- building relationships /trust Household

• Baithaks/Katcheris – Community Gathering • Citizen Stories • Call for Action; Posters ; ‘Politicians knocking on the door’

Village• Report Launch /Thematic Card Dissemination• Creating District Report Cards with Dept. of Education • Teacher Baithaks; Posters – Videos – Politicians MNAs/MPAs

District• Report & Thematic Cards Dissemination• Policy Dialogues ; Media Trainings /Universities /Think

Tanks Departmental briefings based on [ASER] data• Standing Committee on Education – Videos

Provincial

• Report Dissemination• Policy Dialogues• Media Trainings /Coalitions – Synergies • ASER Documentary/ videos

National

Advocacy – Target Audience

Village Baithaks

• Parents,• Community• Youth/Children• Dept. officials/others • Occasionally

MPA/MNA

District Level Launch

• Government Official• Teachers/Headteacher• Teacher Unions• Youth• CSOs• Media

Provincial Level Launch • Ministries- Standing

Committees • Bureaucrats • Educationists/Experts • CSOs• Media• Youth/• Teacher unions • Judges/Lawyers

National Level Launch

• MNAs-Senators• Standing Committees • Federal Government• Youth• Media • Universities /Think

Tanks• Justice Systems • INGOs/Donors

Advocacy Tools Advocacy Tools Advocacy Tools Advocacy Tools

From Research to Tools for Advocacy

iterative and need based

Formal Reports to Repackaged Materials for Segmented Audiences • ASER Report - National – provincial – district • ASER Report Cards – thematic, indicator and district wise • ASER Report Cards - village level – for baithaks • ASER Report Cards – teachers’ baithaks – conversations on quality • ASER Right to Education (RTE-25 A) Cards• ASER Posters segmented by audience -

• Children; Youth; Parents; Teachers; District Officials; Parliamentarians

Videos – Policy Briefs- Rankings • Video for Launch • Videos with politicians • Videos of ASER village baithaks-

CALL TO ACTION! • SMS- bulk • Social Media - Google teams

• ASER in Economic Survey of Pakistan (annual)

• ASER Policy Briefs – thematic• ASER district rankings• SDPI/Alif Ailaan • ASER District Report Cards

• (PSLMs/District DoE - EMIS/ ASER)

z DISTRICT

REPORT

CARD

Part II –Group - Exercise (attached)

Target Group/s Research Output – data

To influence/ change what ?

Outcome

Preferred Advocacy Tool

Rationale for Choosing this tool

a.Read the case study and devise an Advocacy Plan that best suits your work as grantee of Ilm Ideas – select only ONE issue from the case study that describes you best.

References & Handouts

Assifi N. (2005) “Advocacy” UNFPA/CST, Bangkok

Assifi N. (2005) “Advocacy Strategy Planning” UNFPA/CST, Bangkok

Assifi N. (2005) “Advocacy: What is it and how it works ” UNFPA/CST, Bangkok

Coulby. H. et. al (2008) Advocacy & Campaigning Course Toolkit INTRAC -for Oxfam Hong Kong Handouts: pp. Coverage pp.5-18; 25- 36 ;38- 40 SAFED/ITA (2013/12) ASER 2013; ASER 2012 (www.aserpakistan.org)

Define Priority Problem/issue

Description of priority problem and its causes

Reason for choosing this problem

Who is affected by the this problem

Recommended tentative solution in terms of

advocacy

ExampleHigh level of 5 year olds not enrolled on time due to lack of awareness, counseling services n

Pakistan is off track to meet Target 2 – all other targets get impacted with delayed enrolments – likelihood to remain out of school is high

The entire population 4-6 – parents households; teachers and education officers – politicians and their mandates

- Advocacy for local level action –campaigns backed by evidence compelling local leaders and parents to enroll their children on time -Teachers/Ed System to run local targeted campaigns -Seeking policy on NADRA to set up SMART cards for children with birth registration dates/ immunisation and enrolment tracking