Summer Break Is Not Always a Break: Those Who Use the Quiet Period in Politics Have a Clear Advantage
“That can wait. It’s summer break anyway.” “The MPs and their staff can’t be reached anyway.” “They’re all on vacation.”
Who in political Berlin hasn’t heard these sentences? You hear them every year in July and August, right at the start of the parliamentary recess. As a result, many people feel the urge to finish some tasks quickly before the summer break: making several phone calls, publishing a position paper and, especially popular, inviting MPs to a summer event just before their vacation, in Berlin, during the holidays. The workload just before the summer break is high because many people feel they cannot make an impact during the recess. That is a mistake.
This year, too, government members and Bundestag MPs are on vacation. But looking at the regulatory agenda, we see draft bills from the ministries and the government, plans for special committee meetings, and consultations with the federal states and associations. Important projects are on the political agenda for summer 2023: among other things, the cabinet is arguing over the basic child allowance (Kindergrundsicherung), approving cannabis legalization, discussing the Growth Opportunities Act and working on heat planning. The “summer break” is therefore no longer a time when politics stands still.
Especially in the summer months, public policy consultancies need to stay active in order to keep track of political and social developments and turn them into workable strategies. The following points can serve as a guide:
Reflection and creativity
The summer months are ideal for critically reviewing past strategies and activities and redefining them if necessary. This is part of daily work, but there is more time during the summer break to answer questions like these: What has worked well so far? Do our tasks still support the goal? Which approaches need to be improved? This reflection provides valuable insights and helps improve current and future strategies.
Knowledge and analysis
During sitting weeks, most consultancies are busy with specific topics, procedures and actors. They develop strategies and focus on day-to-day business. This leaves little time to look at other topics in detail. Yet the political landscape is constantly changing: new topics emerge, staff changes bring new faces, and procedures are adjusted. In public policy, we use this time for in-depth analysis. For example, we review current statements on the climate action program, such as the one from the Council of Experts on Climate Change. We assess different positions on the use of health data, such as those of medical associations and health insurers. We follow major conferences, such as the EU–CELAC summit or the BRICS meeting, to stay informed about international developments. The goal is to build knowledge of political, social and economic developments early on. This allows us to identify social trends, anticipate political changes and be ready to act at any time.
Communication and data
The summer break is a good time to bring fresh ideas into your communication strategy, update materials, and plan and carry out activities. Good political communication attracts public interest, makes topics visible and relevant, and starts discussions on important political questions. Today, this hardly works without a reliable data basis. That is why we use the summer months to collect and filter relevant data and information. Especially for complex questions, data-driven search routines and tools such as network analysis help create a solid basis for decisions.
One example: using our technical solutions, we were able to quickly collect, structure and analyze all legislative activity in digital health since 2018. We examined path dependencies and anticipated key provisions of the Digital Act currently under discussion. Another example: we used a media response analysis to assess how the public perceives a company and derived important measures for its future positioning. Where “gut feeling” used to be enough, today you need well-researched and well-analyzed data and information. This is how legitimate concerns become relevant in public and political debates.
Network, network, network
During the summer break, MPs spend a lot of time in their constituencies, where they are available for discussions. This is a good time to strengthen personal relationships with existing and new contacts. To understand the full range of opinions, it also helps to talk with associations, professional societies, advisory bodies, individual experts and industrial companies.
One example: we spoke with nursing chambers, medical care centers and the national associations of local authorities about local healthcare. This produced useful arguments for the political debate on health kiosks and primary care centers. Both types of care will be regulated in September in a law that aims to strengthen healthcare.
As you can see, the political summer break ends faster than expected. Consultancies that prepare early for the return of parliament have the advantage. This is especially important this year because the federal government has “worked ahead”: many projects already have cabinet decisions, so several parliamentary procedures will start in early September. If you have the relevant information and strong arguments before parliament returns, you can position yourself as a subject-matter expert. Experience shows that this makes MPs more willing to talk when they return to the Berlin political bubble.
Conclusion: Use the apparent quiet of the summer break as an opportunity
At first glance, the middle of the year may seem like a quiet time. But for public policy, it offers many opportunities: deepening expertise, maintaining and expanding relationships, developing ideas and preparing strategically and operationally for the second half of the year. It is a chance to improve your own consulting work and remain a reliable partner for social, economic and political actors, especially once politics picks up speed again.
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