Whether you are working in an industry or supporting a cause, you may find yourself involved in some form of Coalition lobbying. coalition lobbying is nothing new. For decades, groups working in various industries have formed coalitions to advance their common cause. Coalitions can range from small local interests to large national organizations and political action committees.
Coalitions can be formed to support particular industry interests, a set of causes, or a particular policy issue. While there is often some degree of coordination among these interest groups, the driving force behind each member's efforts is generally a desire to advance a common cause. Policy issues that fall under this category include immigration, labor issues, environment protection, and even controversial issues such as capital punishment sentencing. The purpose of all coalition lobbying, then, is to bring to the attention of Members of Congress and other officials the range of common interests and the effect that such policy changes would have on the stakeholders of that industry or cause.
Although many groups now engage in a bit of coalition networking, it is not uncommon for smaller coalitions to seek assistance from larger interest groups when it comes time to propose an issue on which they have come to rely. The larger groups that are typically involved in coalition lobbying have made it known that they welcome outside expertise and advice. This often means that smaller interest groups today are frequently employed the services of larger firms in order to ensure the effectiveness and validity of their proposed policy resolutions.
There are a number of ways in which this form of "coalition" lobbying can take place. First, some coalitions will simply be comprised of a collection of constituents who are unified in their policy concerns. Each member of the group has a clear understanding of how that particular policy affects his or her constituents. In this setting, the coalitions might merely be interested in learning more about a particular policy from another organization with which they are associated. In this case, the member organization would send its own representative to meet with the individual members of the coalition to gather information and facilitate discussion.
Other coalitions will rely on experts in the field to serve as rapport-builders. For example, one business may engage the services of a former oil and gas industry lobbyist in order to secure an increase in exploration or infrastructure projects within the sector. On the other hand, a new think tank might utilize the services of an oil and gas industry consultant in order to understand the likely effects of a price increase on the industry. The former member of the alliance might serve as the intermediary between the industry consultant and the individual members. While the latter is rarely a highly regarded expert in the field, the former may often be an industry expert with experience working with government officials and congressional representatives. View here for more about coalition lobbying.
Still other coalitions will be formed between entities that are often thought of as competitors but in actuality have a lot more in common than simply their desire to increase their market share. Some examples include technology and medical companies that often feel threatened by a competitor's innovation or new research and development efforts. The coalitions discussed above have all been established due to the fact that a single company may choose to work only with certain members of an organization due to the fact that the others are not strong competitors. As technology and medical companies continue to collaborate and share ideas, the number of coalitions will continue to grow. For more understanding of this article, visit this link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lobbying.
