Is there a difference in being a lobbyist or advocate?
Advocacy and lobbying are closely related terms yet have different meanings. Both
practices are utilized in the hopes of having an influence on potential legislation. The purpose of
this discussion is to define, compare, and contrast, the terms lobbyist and advocate, and explain
why they are important. Furthermore, I will select one healthcare organization that I highlighted
in Module 1 and consider how they lobby or advocate for healthcare policy.
Oftentimes, it is challenging to achieve progress in legislation. Without having some
form of impact on the decisions of policymakers, beneficial laws would be difficult to pass.
Fortunately, there are ways to influence those that are in power – advocacy and lobbying.
Advocacy is an activity that involves speaking in favor of, defending, or fighting for a cause that
an individual deems worthy. Advocacy includes educating lawmakers and the public about their
objective. Lobbying is a form of advocacy that targets a specific issue. It involves
communication with government representatives and asking they vote a certain way or urging the
public to contact their local representatives to support particular legislation. Without advocacy
and lobbying, seatbelt laws, restrictions on child labor, or abortion laws may have never been
passed.
As previously stated, advocacy and lobbying are closely related terms. All instances of
lobbying are advocacy, yet not all advocacy is considered lobbying (Mason, Dickson,
McLemore, & Perez, 2020). Advocacy is the broad term used to describe lending a voice to be
heard that inspires policy change. Similarly, lobbying is used to inspire policy change but
narrows its focus to targeted concerns. Furthermore, non-profit organizations can engage in both
advocacy and lobbying, yet there are strict regulations when lobbying that, if not adhered to, can
result in sizeable fines and punishments (Willson, 2020).
This study source was downloaded by 100000844555733 from CourseHero.com on 04-03-2022 14:42:02 GMT -05:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/64743415/Nurse-Excellence-Mod-3-DBdocx/
Advocacy and lobbying are closely related terms yet have different meanings. Both
practices are utilized in the hopes of having an influence on potential legislation. The purpose of
this discussion is to define, compare, and contrast, the terms lobbyist and advocate, and explain
why they are important. Furthermore, I will select one healthcare organization that I highlighted
in Module 1 and consider how they lobby or advocate for healthcare policy.
Oftentimes, it is challenging to achieve progress in legislation. Without having some
form of impact on the decisions of policymakers, beneficial laws would be difficult to pass.
Fortunately, there are ways to influence those that are in power – advocacy and lobbying.
Advocacy is an activity that involves speaking in favor of, defending, or fighting for a cause that
an individual deems worthy. Advocacy includes educating lawmakers and the public about their
objective. Lobbying is a form of advocacy that targets a specific issue. It involves
communication with government representatives and asking they vote a certain way or urging the
public to contact their local representatives to support particular legislation. Without advocacy
and lobbying, seatbelt laws, restrictions on child labor, or abortion laws may have never been
passed.
As previously stated, advocacy and lobbying are closely related terms. All instances of
lobbying are advocacy, yet not all advocacy is considered lobbying (Mason, Dickson,
McLemore, & Perez, 2020). Advocacy is the broad term used to describe lending a voice to be
heard that inspires policy change. Similarly, lobbying is used to inspire policy change but
narrows its focus to targeted concerns. Furthermore, non-profit organizations can engage in both
advocacy and lobbying, yet there are strict regulations when lobbying that, if not adhered to, can
result in sizeable fines and punishments (Willson, 2020).
This study source was downloaded by 100000844555733 from CourseHero.com on 04-03-2022 14:42:02 GMT -05:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/64743415/Nurse-Excellence-Mod-3-DBdocx/
