MANAGING PUBLIC ADVOCACY PROCESS
OVERVIEW OF SKILLS

CD23 Syllabus                                                                       Course Structure Index
Professor Geza Feketekuty

Outline of Course on the Techniques and Skills of Trade Policy Analysis and Negotiation

This course will cover the skills and techniques required for policy analysis and negotiation.  Three approaches will be used in addressing each skill and element in a typical policy-making and negotiation process.  First there will be core background readings and class discussion of effective techniques and skill development.  Second, documents related to various steps in a typical policy-making and negotiation process will be prepared with participation by the class, using an artificial case constructed through class participation in the first few sessions, and 3) students will be formed into teams representing various countries, and each team will be asked to identify a current issue of importance to its country and to prepare relevant documents as homework assignments.  These team documents will then be analyzed and discussed in the subsequent meeting of the class.

The following case studies will prove useful during various sessions of the course:

Jonathan Aronson, Negotiating to Launch Negotiations: Getting Trade in Services Onto the GATT Agenda. Pew Case Studies

John Barton & Bart Fisher, International Trade and Investment, (Boston: Little, Brown Company, 1986)

William. J. Drake & Kalypso Nicolaidis. Ideas, Interests and Institutionalization: Epistemic Community and International Trade in Services, published in Peter Haas, ed. Epistemic Communities and International policy Coordination, a special issue of International Organization  45 (Winter 1992)

Geza Feketekuty, International Trade in Services, An Overview and Blueprint for Negotiations, (Washington: Ballinger for the American Enterprise Institute, 1988)

Michael Hart, Decision at Midnight: Inside the Canada-US Free Trade Negotiations (Vancouver: UBC Press, 1994)

Thomas R. Howell, Alan William Wolff, Brent L. Bartlett and R, Michael Gadbaw,  Conflict Among Nations, (Boulder: Westview Press, 1992)

Session 1:   Introduction & Constructing a Case for the Course (Part 1)
The first part of the session will address the objectives and organization of the course.

The second part of the session will be devoted to the development of  case material.  The class will participate in the development of  a number of hypothetical countries, and the key institutions and players in those countries, as a basis for simulating the various stages of the policy development and negotiating process in future class sessions.  The class discussion will identify key government agencies, businesses, interest groups,  newspapers, and key players in each of these institutions.

Students will be asked to organize themselves into teams representing  the simulated countries or regional groupings, and each group will be asked to identify a series of hypothetical and/or real trade negotiating issues confronting their country, covering a range of  bilateral, regional and multilateral trade problems and opportunities

In addition to the construction of the case, the class discussion will serve as a basis for analyzing the roles played by different government officials, representatives of interest groups, business executives and the media in a typical country.

Background Reading

John Barton & Bart Fisher, International Trade and Investment, (Boston: Little, Brown Company, 1986) Chapter 1 & Chapter 3.

Michael Howlett and M. Ramesh, Studying Public Policy: Policy Cycles and Policy Subsystems, (Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1995)

Mancur Olson, The Logic of Collective Action, (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1965)

James Q. Wilson, What Government Agencies Do and Why They Do It (New York: Basic Books, 1989)

European Commission, Report on United States Barriers to Trade and Investment, 1994

United States Trade Representative, Foreign Trade Barriers, 1995

Session 2:   Constructing a case for the course. (Part 2)
Each student team will be required to report on their selection of  negotiating issues for future class exercises, and to present an analysis of the domestic and international ramifications of  each issue and the foreign and domestic economic interests that are likely to be impacted.  The other teams will be expected  to become informed on those issues for simulated negotiations later in the course.

Session 3:    Framing the Issue
This session will address how one frame’s an issue for government action, i.e. how one translates a problems identified from a business or interest group perspective into an issue that can be addressed by trade officials through negotiations with other governments.  Discussions will focus on how one can address a specific problem while preserving general policy goals that might be undermined by possible courses of actions.

The class will examine a broad range of potential bilateral, regional or  multilateral trade problems and how they may be framed for possible policy actions or negotiations by trade officials. Differences between ad hoc problem solving solutions versus rule-making solutions will be explored.

Students will be assigned a range of problems to address for discussion in the following class session.

Background Reading

Chapter 8 in Feketekuty, International  Trade in Services.

Session 4:    Framing the Issue.  Critique of Class Contributions.
Presentation and discussion of negotiating solutions prepared by class members.

Session 5:   Policy Options Papers.
This session will focus on the writing of options papers for senior policy guidance.  It will cover what such a documents has to cover and  how it needs to be written and organized to be effective.

The discussion will also cover the skills associated with effective writing.

Each country team will be asked to prepare for the next session of the class an options paper laying out alternative courses of action on their chosen cases.  This paper should be in the form of an options paper submitted to a senior political official for decision.

Background Reading

Books on effective writing for executives, decision makers.

Session 6.    Policy Options Papers.  Critique of Class Contributions.
This session will be devoted to an analysis of policy option papers/ position papers written by the student teams. The options papers prepared previously by the various teams will be circulated at the beginning of the class for review by the class as a whole.

Session 7.  Building Consensus in the Government
This session will address the challenges associated with building a consensus among government departments/ministries on a course of action.. Class discussion will focus on how one shapes an issue for the purpose of  building a consensus.  It will explore the likely interests and concerns of the government departments most likely to be involved in the debates, and how one might accommodate them.

Class discussion will also focus on the skills required for consensus-building.

Student country teams will be required to prepare consensus position papers on their selected issues for the next meeting of the class.

Background Reading

P.H. Partridge, Consent and Consensus, Praeger Publishers (New York, 1971)

Session 8:   Building Consensus.  Critique of Class Contributions.
This session will be devoted to an analysis of interagency position papers written by the student teams.  The papers written by the student teams will be circulated at the beginning of the class.

Session 9:   Managing the Politics of an Issue
This session will be devoted to the management of  the politics surrounding an issue.  Any particular course of policy action and negotiation is likely to be supported by some economic interests and opposed by others.  The discussion will explore some strategies that might be employed to build support and to deflect opposition to a proposed course of  action.

The class discussion will also focus on  skills required for the effective political management of an issue.

Each  student team will be asked to prepare strategies for managing the domestic politics surrounding their chosen negotiating issues for the next session of the class.

Background Reading

Malcolm E. Jewell and Samuel C Patterson, The Legislative Process in the United States, (New York: Random House, 1966) Chapter 12

William J. Keefe & Morris S. Ogul, The American Legislative Process, (Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, 1964)  Chapters 9 & 10.

Robert Paine, Politically Speaking, (Philadelphia: Institute for the Study of Human Issues, 1981)

Session 10:   Managing the Politics - Critique of Class Contributions. 
This session of the class will be devoted to a review of the proposed political strategies prepared by the class teams.

Session 11.  Dealing With the Legislature.
This session will be focused on dealing with the legislature.  It will explore the role and motivation of legislators,  the various ways in which political pressure is brought to bear on officials through the legislature and the various ways in which a policy analyst or a policy maker may have to respond to the legislative branch. 

Class discussion will also focus on the preparation of written testimony, and preparing oneself for a legislative hearing or a meeting with legislators.  The class will explore the objectives of  both  written and oral testimony, steps that might be taken before the hearing or meeting to assure success or to avoid failure, and techniques for avoiding political traps along the way.

The discussion will also cover  the  skills required for successfully dealing with legislators. 

Background Reading

Malcolm E. Jewell and Samuel C Patterson, The Legislative Process in the United States, (New York: Random House, 1966) Chapter 13, 14, 15, 16 & 18

William J. Keefe & Morris S. Ogul, The American Legislative Process, (Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, 1964)  Chapters 5 & 6.

Session 12.  Simulating Legislative Hearings
This session will be devoted to a simulation of  hearings on the various topics chosen by the student teams.  Student teams will alternate in the roles of  legislators holding the hearings and officials testifying before a legislative committee.  Students not involved in the hearing will be expected to take notes and to write reporting cables to their home governments.

Session 13.  Simulating Legislative Hearings
This session will provide other student teams to participate in simulated hearings.

Session 14.  Critique of  Legislative Testimony by Class Teams
This session of the class will be devoted to a critique of the written and oral testimony provided by the various student teams in the previous sessions.

Session 15.  Dealing with the Media. 
This session of the class will be devoted to dealing with the media.  Class discussion will explore how  the media can help or hurt the achievement of  policy objectives.  It will also focus on  the content of  effective press releases, and  techniques for handling questions by reporters.

Background Reading

Richard Ericson, Patricia Baranek & Janet Chan, Negotiating Control, (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1989).  Chapters 1, 6 & 7. 

Session 16.  Simulating a Press Conference.
Student teams will simulate press conferences, starting with the distribution of a press release.

Students will trade roles as government officials and members of the press.

Student teams will also be expected to write articles, acting as reporters, and reporting cables, acting as diplomats stationed in an embassy abroad.

Session 17:  Preparing Negotiations: Establishing Common Ground
This session will focus on establishing common ground with negotiating partners on the dimensions of the problem to be negotiated, the facts, the obstacles to a solution and the reasons for seeking a solution.  Class discussion will explore the prenegotiation phase with respect to the different kinds of negotiations, including bilateral problem solving efforts,  negotiation of bilateral or regional treaties/agreements, and multilateral trade negotiations in the WTO context. 

Background Reading

Aronson, Negotiations to Launch Negotiations

Drake et al, Ideas Interests and Institutionalization

James A. Smith, The Idea Brokers, (New York: The Free Press, 1991)

Session 18:  Case Studies focusing on Establishing Common Ground.
This session will be devoted to an examination of a case study with respect to the advanced preparation of negotiations.

Session 19.  Preparing Negotiations: Building Political Support Abroad.
This session will focus on preparing the ground for negotiations by building up political support in the foreign negotiator’s backyard.  It will explore the mobilization of  local interest groups in abroad.

Session 20.  Case Studies of Building Political Support Abroad.
This session will be devoted to a discussion of  cases illustrating the development of political support in the foreign negotiating partner’s home territory.  

Session 21.  Preparing Negotiations: Winning in the Court of Public Opinion.
This session will explore the value of  winning in the court of public opinion at home and abroad.  Class discussion will focus on the role of the media and the academic community.

Session 22.  Case Studies of  the Role of the Media and the Academic Community
The session will be devoted to an examination of relevant cases.

The individual student teams will be required to prepare negotiating strategies for their various negotiating issues for dissemination  to the class at the April 9 session and class critique on the April 11.

Session 23.  Developing a Comprehensive Negotiating Strategy.
This session will focus on putting the various elements of a negotiating strategy together.  Class discussion will focus on the preparation of a negotiating strategy, and the preparation of  a government strategy paper. Class discussion will focus on such questions as What goes into a negotiating strategy?  What are factors that have to be considered in designing a strategy? How do you approach a zero-sum type of negotiation as against in which both parties could gain? What is different about a rule-making negotiation?

Discussion will also focus on the effective design and development of a strategy paper.

Negotiating Strategies prepared by the various teams will be distributed to the whole class.

Background Reading

Roger Fisher and William Ury, Getting to Yes, :Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1981)

Chester L Karass, Give and Take: The Complete Guide to Negotiating Strategies and Tactics, (New York: Crowell, 1974).

Session  24.  Class Critique of Negotiating Strategies.
Class discussion of strategy papers prepared by the student teams.

Session 25.  Negotiating Skills and Techniques. 
Class discussion will focus on approaches to different kinds of negotiations - bilateral bargaining vs. mutual back scratching vs. rule-making negotiations.

Hans Binnendijk, National Negotiating Styles, (Washington: Foreign Service Institute, 1987)

Ralph A. Johnson, Negotiating Basics: Concepts, Skills and Exercises, ( Newbury Park: Sage Publications, 1993)

Lavinia Hall, Strategies for Mutual Gain, (Newbury Park: Sage Publications, 1993)

Session 26.  Negotiating skills and techniques. 
Class discussion will focus on how different countries negotiate, and on how to overcome the cultural hurdles.

Session 27.   Simulating Negotiations.
This session will be devoted to the simulation of negotiations.  Students teams will negotiate with each other over negotiating issues picked by the individual negotiating teams at the beginning of the course.

Session 28.  Simulating Negotiations
In this session other student teams will have the opportunity to participate in simulated negotiations.

Session 29    Critique of Negotiations.
The class will critique the simulated negotiations carried out in the  Session 30
Exam

Background Reading

The following books on American trade politics and trade history might provide some useful insights into the politics of trade.

Stephen D. Cohen, The Making of United States International Economic Policy: Principles, Problems and Proposals for Reform, (Westport: Praeger, 4th Ed. 1994)

I.M Destler, American Trade Politics,  (Washington: Institute for International Economics, 1986).

Steve Dryden, Trade Warriors: USTR and the American Crusade for Free Trade (New York: Oxford University Press, 1995)

Sharyn O’Halloran, Politics, Process and American Trade Policy, (Ann Arbor: University of Michigan press, 1994)

Joan Spero, The Politics of International Economic Relations, (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1985)

The following books can provide useful insights into national decision-making, and international conflict resolution:

J. W. Burton, Systems, States, Diplomacy and Rules, (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1968)