The lobby coalition: can you still do without it?

Do we do it alone or together with others? As a practitioner I get that public affairs Does my organization have room for collaboration and coalition building? Collaborating with other players in the network can be a good strategy. Collaboration has become increasingly necessary in complex issues.

In our book we describe the many manifestations of the lobbycoalition. This can be close-knit or loose, large-scale or smaller-scale, formally or informally organised, permanent or temporary, with similar partners or with all kinds of different organisations. In public affairs there is great diversity in coalitions and there are also all kinds of ways to forge such coalitions, keep them together and be successful.

Formal or spontaneous

Coalitions can contain various types of players, but what they have in common is their role: they aim to influence policy and image formation around issues and the social position of themselves or others. And they do this with a common agenda. Sometimes the participants are represented more or less formally, such as in trade organizations or umbrella organizations that speak on behalf of the members in their advocacy. In other cases, coalitions in public affairs are spontaneous and informal. Public organizations, parts of public administration, can also be part of a coalition in public affairs.

Herd behavior

Sometimes it seems as if organizations, groups and individuals all want to connect to one and the same theme at the same time: this bandwagon effect is following behavior, sometimes even herd behavior. The media can generate such a 'cascade of attention'.

Coalitions can put social problems on the agenda or help devise and select solutions. The political culture in the Netherlands has a habit of reaching agreements, both within and outside political institutions. Here too we see a broadening of coalition formation, such as in the climate agreement on the environment and energy and the prevention agreement on public health.