Understanding the Parameters of Public Affairs (1)
By Arthur-Martins Aginam, PhD
From the outset of this column about six weeks ago, I underscored its primary concern with two very important, but emergent fields of communication- Strategic and Public Affairs communication. This, in part, is due to the conceptual fuzziness around them as relatively new fields that, understandably, are trying to define themselves in practice.
As a result, I spent the past few weeks addressing the complexity of Strategic communication both in theory and practice; stressing its salience as an omnibus concept encompassing virtually all marketing communication fields and more.
These include traditional and social Marketing, Public Relations, Advertising, Behavioural Change Communication, as well as relevant disciplines in the Social Sciences, the Arts and Humanities, among others.
Thus, the scope of Strategic Communication requires that it be holistic, integrated, adaptable, uber-creative, robust and above all, long term in efforts to effectively project an organization’s mandate, values and accomplishments to its stakeholders and publics (internal and external) in a increasingly digitized post-modern world where traditional media walls have collapsed and disciplinary boundaries progressively blurred.
Therefore, a key challenge of Strategic Communication’s eclecticism lies not just in drawing from other fields, but refining and adapting them to address the complexity of 21st century organizational media and communication realities, top among which are increasingly atomized audiences and fast-changing delivery platforms.
This week, we turn to Public Affairs Communication, which in the past decade has also emerged as a distinct field of practice, especially among well-heeled groups such as international organizations and multinational corporations. Public Affairs is such a nebulous term that even the Dictionaries can’t seem to agree on its precise meaning. For example, Collins Dictionary vaguely defines it as ‘’Politics; the business of governing”. On its part, the Merriam-Webster Dictionary explains Public Affairs as “Variety of activities and events that a company does with the public”.
Note that this definition refers specifically to a company, implying a profit-driven, commercial entity. Thankfully, Business Dictionary.Com offers a tad more comprehensive definition of Public Affairs thus- “Public Relations efforts of a firm that are associated with government agencies, mass media, and public interest and pressure groups”.
Again, its choice of the word firm, implies a commercial entity. But there is certainly more to Public Affairs than the activities of a for profit entity in its quest for profit.
Broadly, Public Affairs broadly refers to an organisation’s extensive relationships and engagements with a wide range of stakeholders and publics (e.g. Government, Communities, Customers, Investors, Partners, among others) in the conduct of its affairs. I deliberately used the word Organization as it is not only companies/firms, as suggested by the Dictionaries, who engage in public affairs activities. While some Stakeholders and Publics are more central to an organization’s work, others may be more peripheral.
That explains why, there are sometimes, categories of stakeholders- Primary, Secondary, even Tertiary- relative to the issues in question and the interests of the stakeholders in them.
Public Affairs work, include but is not limited to the following- Government and Community Relations, Media Communications, Issue(s) Management, Corporate Social Responsibility, Information Dissemination and Strategic Communications Advice, Lobbying, Policy Development and Analysis, Knowledge Generation/Content Development, Stakeholder Forums, Advocacy and Sensitization, among many others. From the foregoing, one can reasonably argue that everything, either directly or tangentially, relates to Public Affairs. In pursuit of the interests of their organizations, Public Affairs practitioners strive to influence public policy, build and maintain a strong reputation and find common ground with stakeholders of all stripes (i.e. Customers, Investors, Regulators, Community groups etc.).
Often, but not always, Public Affairs deal with public policy issues of concern among constituents/citizens, activists, or organizations, who engage and sometimes (formally or informally) lobby the government on behalf of certain perspective(s).
Each day, elected and regulatory officials make decisions impacting private businesses, non-profits and citizens at large. Public affairs sub-discipline (in part) seeks to shape public opinion as well as influence government policies in ways that aid client interests. As an arena for contestation and possible consensus or agreement, Public Affairs is dominated by interest and pressure group politics
Key issues in Public Affairs contestation may, on occasions, involve grassroots initiatives, requiring everyday citizens to organize and create a movement in favour of a certain issues or perspectives (e.g. previous public protests over government plans to remove subsidy on petrol; tension between communities and government or companies over development projects etc.).
However, as I mentioned earlier, not all Public Affairs issues directly revolve around governments at all levels (Federal, State and Local), although political governance or lack thereof, can be contributory factors to their emergence or escalation. In essence, organizations and individuals of all stripes, profits and non-profits, as well as ordinary citizens- to varying degrees and depending on the issues- are stakeholders in Public Affairs.
Aside from multinational organizations, most entities in Nigeria have either yet to see the immense value in Public Affairs Communication or ‘’lack’’ the resources to invest exclusively in it, thus leaving it under their Media, Public Relations or Corporate Communications unit. In some instances, they also engage, on need basis, the services of outside Consultants and Lobbyists- the later who are mostly Lawyers. Such engagements, with respect to government, involves ensuring favourable legislative and policy outcomes on their behalf.
Consultants are also sometimes engaged to interface with non-government stakeholders, like community groups, on behalf of the organizations.
As Public Affairs Networking- a pre-eminent forum of practitioners across the United Kingdom, the European Union and beyond explains, Public Affairs describes an organisation’s relationship(s) and engagements with stakeholders (individuals or groups) that have interest in the organisation’s affairs (e.g. politicians, civil servants, customers, local communities, clients, shareholders, trade associations, think tanks, business groups, charities, unions and the media). According to the organization, Public Affairs practitioners, among other things, engage stakeholders in order to explain organisational policies and views on public policy issues, assisting policy makers and legislators in amending or laying down better policy and legislation in an effort to advance the organization’s interest (i.e. Lobbying).
Unfortunately, all too often, people tend to confuse Public Affairs with the Public Sector. And while there may be occasional overlaps, both are distinct from each other. Public Sector comprises of organizations owned and operated by the government that exist to provide services for its citizens and do not necessarily seek to generate profit. These include Ministries, Departments, Agencies and Parastatals as well as corporations under them.
Such Public sector organizations are funded through a variety of methods, including taxes, fees, and subvention from government; with mode of funding varying from country to country. However, global trends now favour collaboration between public and private sector organizations or what is called Public-Private Partnership (P3s). While Public Sector refers narrowly to government and its agencies, Public Affairs speak broadly to the entangled web of relationships among government agencies and between them and a wide range of stakeholders in governance- private corporations, civil society/non-profit sector, community groups, among others. Public Affairs, also includes engagements and contestations among non-government groups relative to their issues and interests, that in some instances, may involve some degree of government policy or intervention.
Critical to Public Affairs are diverse range of stakeholders- individuals or groups with some degree of interest in an organisation’s affairs or whose actions can impact the activities of the organization.
These may include, but not limited to the following- Governments at all levels and their agencies who make and enforce laws as well as develop and implement policies; Corporate Shareholders, Customers and Clients; Local/Host Communities; Trade/Professional Associations; Think Tanks (Policy Research Centres); Business Groups; Non-Governmental Organizations/Charities; International Organizations/Donor Agencies/Development Partners (some agencies of Governments); Labour Unions; the Mass Media; and Citizens at large.
In summary, Public Affairs is an arena for contestation and possible consensus driven by interest and pressure group politics in which communication plays a critical role. Be it the 8-month fight between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) over the union’s protracted industrial action in 2022; or the ongoing face-off between organized Labour and the Federal Government over post-fuel subsidy palliatives- winning the battle in the court of public opinion is crucial, as it may likely help to change government policy on the issue.
