Lebanese nongovernmental organizations advocating policy change : the case of CRTD-A and the nationality law -

Abstract

For non-governmental organizations trying to influence policy, advocacy is seen as the only way to achieve their organizational goals. In Lebanon, several feminist organizations have been advocating for legal changes in the nationality law. This thesis is a case study of CRTD-A, a Lebanese NGO, advocating for women’s rights to nationality. It explores how this organization advocates to influence policy. Moreover, this research analyzes how CRTD-A employs communication as part of its advocacy strategies. The main question that guides this study is: how did CRTD-A advocate to influence the Nationality Law? To answer this question, the means and strategies employed by this organization, to achieve the observed changes, are identified. Moreover, a brief examination of the impact CRTD-A had on policy is presented. This research provides an overview of the social and cultural environment in Lebanon to understand the context of the nationality law. Furthermore, a thorough understanding of how Lebanese NGOs and CRTD-A, in particular, advocate through a series of strategies to influence change. An explanation is provided on how policy is formed in Lebanon and the use of Kingdon’s Multiple Stream Framework has been adopted to explain how advocating NGOs impact policy. The research conducted a total of 21 interviews with experts in the field NGOs, policy, media and CRTD-A. The contributions of this study would be of interest to non-governmental organizations and scholars of public administration and policy. In addition to the literature on non-governmental organizations, this study contributes to another area of research: policy