Difference between Lobbying and Advocacy

Communication allows you to express your views on a specific matter to a concerned party. Lobbying and advocacy are two different techniques of communicating used amongst communities and various organisations. Advocacy refers to pressure groups in different democratic setups as they make their voices heard by influencing the opinion of the general public. Lobbying tries to influence legislators who make laws in parliament or congress through various methods. Many non-profit organisations around the world consider communication as the best tool in many matters as it can directly or indirectly have an impact on policies and different rules and regulations at the government level.

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    Advocacy

    Advocacy is a broad term and relates to groups that try to influence the public and help make their voices heard in different democratic setups. These pressure groups always try to influence those who matter in a specific situation. These groups might comprise of only one person or a large organisation to influence any lawmaker. There are many problems in any society from socio-political to an assortment of petty issues. These types of problems are discussed in advocacy. People, who are part of any pressure group, make sure that every law that is being passed in parliament or in the upper house should serve people otherwise they protest against it and call for change. They also take part in different kinds of discussions and set an agenda rolling. They challenge the government of the day and put pressure to change any law that has been inadequate for the general public. Sometimes, the leaders of these pressure groups gain power and eventually sit in government after a lot of hard work.

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    Lobbying

    Lobbying tries to influence legislators who basically make laws in parliament or congress. Efforts are made to influence law makers to make legislation for the benefit of the general public. Lobbying procedures are slightly different from advocacy. It is done through large business corporations and various organisations that want to make sure that their voices are heard by those who matter. It can be slightly difficult as many legislators have different laws which they must follow to sustain the legitimacy of any new policy that might get passed. There are different organisations that specialise in lobbying on behalf others. Many countries often hire these companies to help them lobby on a specific bill or piece of legislation that can have either a positive or negative impact internationally.

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