Public affairs

Public affairs is a catch-all term that includes public policy as well as public administration, both of which are closely related to and draw upon the fields of political science as well as economics. It is also often used in business as a synonym to public relations.

Public policy discussions are generally and consciously partisan, and we assume that participants in public policy discussion have a specific point of view which they seek to advance in the discussion.

Public administration, on the other hand, generally claims to be non-partisan. It focuses on methods of public administration, illustrated by historical examples, recording outcomes.

In the broadcasting industry, public affairs refers to programming produced by a news department which focuses on matters of politics and public policy. Such programs are often broadcast only to satisfy regulatory expectations, and hence are scheduled at times when few listeners or viewers are tuned in (or even awake); in U.S. broadcasting, this is known as the "Sunday-morning public affairs ghetto". At some (particularly national) broadcasters, "Public Affairs" may be a special unit, separate from the news department, dedicated to producing long-form public-affairs programming, as at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation prior to 1992.

Public affairs also describes the activities through which organisations seek to influence government and political institutions and processes. In this usage, it is usually regarded as a specialised area within the broader field of public relations.

In the United States military, "public affairs" is the term used for public relations. A "public affairs officer" (PAO)'s job is to deal with the mass media.

Rex Osborn, Managing Director of Citigate Public Affairs, describes public affairs consultants as "interlocutors between the political process and everybody else, including private companies, charities and public bodies."

Jeremy Kane, co-founder of EPPA, pan-European public affairs advisers, defines public affairs as "the management of institutional relations at a profit". Many private sector organisations employ professional Public Affairs practitioners to help them manage such relations.

Public affairs practitioners also work for not-for-profit organisations and causes. Activist and community sector organisations often engage in public affairs activities (such as campaigning and lobbying) to influence public policy.

Social activism involves popular action and commentary on public affairs.

List of public affairs topics

• state, government, forms of government
  • republic
  • democracy
  • monarchy
• security
  • crime, criminal justice
  • military
  • civil defense, emergency preparedness, community emergency response teams
• regulation, deregulation
  • public health, pollution, emissions trading
  • industrial policy, investment policy, tax, tariff and trade
• budget
  • taxation
  • socialism
  • technocracy
• management
• public affairs degrees

References

• The Bulletin, 16 March 2006, p. 14, Lobbying Europe: facts and fiction
• The European Lawyer, December 2005/January 2006, p. 9, The lobbyists have landed
• Financial Times, 3 October 2005, p. 8, Brussels braces for a US lobbying invasion
• Public Affairs News, November 2004, p. 34, Judgement Call
• The European Lawyer, December 2004/January 2005, p. 26, Lifting the lid on lobbying
• Geiger, Andreas (From a lobbyist's point of view, European Agenda 1/2006)
• Geiger, Andreas (Lobbyists – the Devil’s Advocates?, European Competition Law Review, Volume 24, issue 11/2003, p. 559)