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ABSTRACT
Despite a growing interest in advocacy for marginalised groups within international development, the relationship between organisational capacity and advocacy effectiveness is not yet fully understood. This article synthesises existing empirical research on advocacy for marginalised groups in the Global South. It presents a framework that identifies the main enabling factors for advocacy effectiveness and the organisational capacities and requirements associated with these. The article disentangles the abstract notion of advocacy capacity into concrete components, with eight core advocacy capacities identified: the capacity to (1) produce evidence, (2) inspire trust among power holders, (3) represent constituency interests, (4) analyse the political arena, (5) produce tailored messages, (6) work collectively, (7) build rapport with power holders, and (8) adapt to ongoing changes in the environment. Finally, the article reflects on the promises and pitfalls of using the capacity framework in real-world settings.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes on contributors
Willem Elbers is Senior Researcher at Gender & Diversity Studies at Radboud University, the Netherlands. He is principal investigator of the “Breaking down Barriers” project which focuses on advocacy and inclusive development in Zambia, Cameroon and Sierra Leone.
Jelmer Kamstra is Senior Policy Researcher at the Policy and Operations Evaluation Department (IOB) of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Until December 2019 he worked as Senior Policy Officer for the Ministry's Civil Society Division on implementing the “Dialogue and Dissent” policy framework which focuses on strengthening civil society advocacy.