Government PR and Policymaking

This post is based off the lectures given by Dr Ian War in POLS2111: Politics and the Media at UQ

Does the suggestion that policymaking involves a strategic contest to frame policy explain why executive government invests so heavily in advertising and public relations?

There exists in Australian politics a continuing struggle between opposing sides of government, in which each side aims to capture the good will of the voting public. To further their cause, parties are investing more and more heavily in advertising and public relations to frame their policies in a light most appealing to the consuming public.

Andrew Podger states “Communications are at the heart of politics”. Today, perhaps it is more accurate to say that marketing, or public relations is at the heart of politics. When a party succeeds in placing their policy in the public eye, public discussion inevitably occurs. This public discussion has manifold effects: it builds or disassembles public support and it frames the issue as significant. This public discussion can make or break a policy, so parties are willing to invest heavily to present their policy in the best possible light.

Of course, the opposing party does their utmost to simultaneously discredit their opponent, while presenting their policies as viable alternatives. This constant manoeuvring between parties means that government and party spending inevitably increases. This increase signals the increasing political imperative of managing the public discussion of policy.

Policy-making involves a strategic contest to frame policy. Due to the nature of this contest, for the benefit of the public in the media arena, parties and governments are required to invest heavily in advertising and public relations to ensure they’re policy is accepted by the voting public.