The Power of Persuasion: Issue Framing and Advocacy in Argentina

Abstract

This article examines the collective action frames that civil societal actors in Argentina have used while engaging in advocacy. It argues that by devising effective framing strategies, members of civil society organisations increase their chances of participating in the agenda-setting, formulation and adoption phases of policymaking. The relationship between framing and participation is supported by a comparative analysis of two cases of advocacy: the campaign for a freedom of information law and the struggle for child protection legislation. The evidence suggests that civil societal actors often rely on the strength of their ideas and their persuasive power to achieve political relevance, which is analytically distinct from political outcomes.

Protecting Children and Adolescents in Uruguay: Civil Society’s Role in Policy Reform

“…In the following section, I discuss two important variables explaining participation: effective alliance building and successful issue framing. 2 2 These arguments are also developed in previous studies [24][25][26].…”

“…The integral protection doctrine also emphasizes the rehabilitation and resettlement of juvenile offenders into their families and communities. Child advocates have endeavored for years to harmonizing domestic laws and practices with these international norms; indeed, the irregular situation doctrine and its legal manifestations proved remarkably resistant to change [20,25].…”

“…Additionally, child advocates were adamant that state institutions and the juvenile justice system deprived children of their rights and jeopardized their well-being. These discursive strategies complicated their ability to influence the policy-making process [25].…”