This category of advocacy outcomes aims to deal with a specific problem or issue by introducing or amending a piece of legislation or a policy. Policy change is likely the most manageable level of advocacy outcomes to achieve and the first thing most people think of when mentioning “advocacy.” However, focusing only on changing a policy without considering advocacy’s other two outcomes would likely lead to institutionalizing the powerlessness of the marginalized and disadvantaged even further. Imagine, for instance, that the sole goal of an advocacy campaign is to change a given policy. The shortest and best way of doing this is to convince an influential person or group of elites to adopt our cause and talk on our behalf to the policy-makers.

If focusing only on changing a policy, advocacy would be between elites and decision-makers. Grassroots, marginalized, and disadvantaged groups will always feel they have no power in themselves. Instead, their power is in the good people who sympathize with them and want to help out by doing good deeds in the best assumption. The more grassroots and disadvantaged depend on the sympathetic elites in addressing their problems, the more their feelings of inability to contribute to the decision-making increase. Every time the elites extend a helping hand to the disadvantaged and marginalized groups, those elites will have more power, and the disadvantaged groups will feel more powerless, and their self-confidence further deteriorates

In this category of outcomes, the change goes beyond focusing on a single policy, a piece of legislation, or even one social problem. It addresses the system in which institutions make public decisions and policies. The hassle that groups went through to communicate with decision-makers and establish legitimacy and recognition is now satisfied. This category of advocacy outcomes establishes and streamlines better involving and transparent decision-making processes. This outcome works on changing the decision-making process toward having effective means of achieving:

a) Involvement of citizens’ groups in the decision-making processes;
b) Transparency of or the decision-making processes; and
c) Accountability of the decision-makers in front of citizens and citizens’ groups.

This outcome may take one extensive campaign or a few campaigns to convince the decision-makers to change the decision-making processes in such a way.

This category of bringing about systemic changes to the decision-making processes brings about a more lasting change to people’s lives, power, and involvement. It provides established venues for people to participate and play a more effective role.

“Systemic change” is certainly a step forward from “policy change.” However, it falls short of ensuring that the marginalized and disadvantaged break the long-established feelings of inferiority to the elites and power holders. Even with these available avenues, most disadvantaged groups are still shy to claim their seats at the table.

In this category of outcomes, ordinary citizens, especially the marginalized and disadvantaged, are aware of their rights and their power to effectively participate and utilize this power to participate in the decision-making processes at all levels.

This outcome goes deep in the setup of our cultures and the socialization processes that affect people’s self-worth and self-confidence. It is the ultimate category of advocacy outcomes. More than the other two categories, this outcome takes time – and often more than a generation – to achieve.

Attaining this outcome is tricky and complicated as it seeks to change cultural beliefs and attitudes created by a long and systemic process of alienation and socialization to push marginalized groups out of the decision-making processes.

Even though we recognize that this category of outcomes is the most important to achieve, we acknowledge that it is likely the most elusive to capture. Measuring feelings of power and the actual use among disadvantaged groups are challenging to conclude confidently. Furthermore, attributing the increasing feelings and utilization of their realized power among disadvantaged and marginalized groups to your smaller advocacy efforts is hard to establish.