{"id":136642,"date":"2024-12-02T13:11:24","date_gmt":"2024-12-02T13:11:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/350.org\/fr\/?page_id=136642"},"modified":"2025-03-26T17:54:24","modified_gmt":"2025-03-26T17:54:24","slug":"faire-face-a-la-bureaucratie","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/350.org\/fr\/reseau-notre-propre-pouvoir-ressources\/faire-face-a-la-bureaucratie\/","title":{"rendered":"Faire face \u00e0 la bureaucratie"},"content":{"rendered":"

Want to put solar panels on school? Want to get the electrical grid to hookup a new wind turbine? Want to get your city managers to support a new just transition plan? Then you\u2019ll need to get sign-offs from bureaucrats, insiders\u2026 whatever you call them.<\/em><\/p>\n

Every situation is different and requires its own analysis. But here is some advice from past campaigners:<\/p>\n

Do a spectrum of allies inside the bureaucracy<\/strong><\/h2>\n

If you\u2019re going to be dancing with them for a long time, use the\u00a0spectrum of allies<\/a>\u00a0to analyze who is inside. You won\u2019t know nearly enough, but really try to gauge people the best you can. Any bureaucracy is a web of personalities, informal power, and overt power. Try to map out the institution.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Don\u2019t root it on our values, root it on theirs.<\/h2>\n

\u201cI hate working with climate campaigners,\u201d says one advocate. \u201cThey always talk about climate, climate, climate. But the reality is that someone will endorse this because it saves the city money, or because it\u2019s going to be a regulation in 6 months and so we might as well get prepared, or because they want to get away from Big Oil and more energy independence, or because it screws another part of the government they despise\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

When you\u2019re talking to an insider, don\u2019t forget there\u2019s a myriad of reasons they might be with you. Use good organizing by talking to their values and listening to them (remember those lessons about having\u00a01-on-1s.<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t knee-jerk escalate or demand more.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Climate activists are known for being activists and their values are rooted aiming for a wide societal change. But you may need the people inside \u2014 and that means you can\u2019t just rapidly rush to escalation.<\/p>\n

The mayor says no to your campaign? Ask their chief of staff what needs to be done to get them to yes.<\/em><\/p>\n

The city manager says there is just no budget for this? Find an insider to help walk you through the budget to come up with options.<\/em><\/p>\n

This includes after a win. One advocate recalled that after a win they got a call from an angry mayor. \u201cI did what you asked. I signed the bill even though all the business community told me not to. But when it went public, who attacked me? Not the business community, they pretend they always loved the plan. No, after I sided with those climate activists and did 90% of what they asked me, they attacked me in public over that 10%. What\u2019s the point of me spending political capital on them?\u201d<\/p>\n

Many activists, however are trained in constant escalation \u2014 so we don\u2019t \u201ctake the win\u201d because we are so conscious of deficiencies. This is especially true on climate change,\u00a0where no single action can be commiserate with the scale of the problem.\u00a0<\/em>That reality, however, also makes for challenges accepting partial wins in a graceful enough way that your allies and insider friends are willing to do more the next time.<\/p>\n

Our radical aims and the practical realities can be in tension. A campaign can be wise by considering the\u00a0timing,\u00a0<\/em>the\u00a0method,<\/em>\u00a0and the\u00a0place<\/em>\u00a0for public agitation for more.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Don\u2019t isolate your most values-aligned insider<\/h2>\n

A local group was trying to get local renewable solar from their electrical company. They made contacts inside the company and found a few people who were supportive. One had a role specifically to do this kind of work \u2014 and the person wasn\u2019t doing it.<\/p>\n

The campaign strategized and almost made the mistake of targeting that person. \u201cDo your job!\u201d<\/p>\n

BUT, the campaign learned this person was an ally. They had been ordered by their boss not to do that research\u00a0and had actually gone ahead and done some of the research and hidden it from their boss because they weren\u2019t ready to risk their job.<\/em><\/p>\n

The campaign almost made a classic blunder: isolating the insiders who most align with your values.<\/em><\/p>\n

There are lots of other ways of isolating your values-aligned insider:<\/p>\n