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Advocacy and Policy Influence

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  • First Online:
Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy, and Governance
  • 119 Accesses

Synonyms

Activism; Government relations; Interest groups; Lobbying; Policy practice; Practical politics

Definition

Advocacy and policymaking refer to the actions of nonprofit organizations to affect public policy deliberations.

A major function of the nonprofit sector is the defense of the poor, the dispossessed, and the powerless (Jenkins 2006). Over the history of the sector, strides in human right and social justice have been attained by nonprofit organizations working for social betterment. Labor legislation, children’s rights, social welfare legislation, environmental protection, and a host of other progressive policies are due to the product of nonprofit advocacy. In addition, the sector’s fortunes are often determined by public policy and the mood of the political system. For both of these reasons, nonprofit advocacy is essential to the sector and an important ingredient of third sector activity.

Why Nonprofits Advocate

The largest part of the incorporated nonprofit sector in...

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References

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Correspondence to John G. McNutt .

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© 2016 Springer International Publishing AG

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McNutt, J.G. (2016). Advocacy and Policy Influence. In: Farazmand, A. (eds) Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy, and Governance. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31816-5_2608-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31816-5_2608-1

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-31816-5

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