Policy Briefs Preparing Policy Briefs The Situation Lack
Policy Briefs: Preparing Policy Briefs
The Situation Lack of communication between researchers and policy makers. Policy makers are not always informed about ongoing research Researchers often lack knowledge of the most pressing policy questions that they would need to make their research more relevant.
From project report to policy brief Here is your report back. Why don’t you just extract the most important items and send it to me as an SMS… Cartoon: Dirk Meissner
WHAT IS A POLICY BRIEF? n A short document that presents the findings and recommendations of a research project to a nonspecialized audience n A medium for exploring an issue and distilling lessons learned from the research e ic v d a y c li o p g in A vehicle for provid
WHAT IS A POLICY BRIEF? A concise, stand alone document focussing on a particular issue requiring policy attention that: ü Explains and conveys the ‘urgency’ of the issue ü Presents policy recommendations or implications on the issue ü Gives evidence to support the reasoning behind those recommendations ü Points the reader to additional resources on the issue
The policy brief Ø A stand alone document Ø Focused on a single topic Ø No more than 2 -4 pages
Why policy briefs? n Demand: Government wants information on which to base policy n n Policymakers require specific types of information q Short, easily to digest q Non-technical language q Focus on policy implications Supply: Organizations and projects have experience and knowledge q Want to influence policy
WHY POLICY BRIEFS? n ODI/ Sci-Dev. Net survey with policy makers in field of Science, Technology and Innovation found: q 50% of policy-makers and 65% of researchers thought dissemination of research findings for policy uptake insufficient q 79% respondents ranked policy briefs as valuable communications tool Source: Jones, N and C Walsh (2008) ‘Policy briefs as a communication tool for development research’. ODI Background Note. London: ODI.
WHY POLICY BRIEFS? “I often read policy briefs for both my official and non-official needs. I cannot think of going forward without consulting policy briefs. It expands my knowledge as I get an opportunity to understand what is happening around me. ” (Policy-maker)
A simple theory of change for a policy brief
Problems with producing policy briefs n Do not know policymakers’ needs n Do not know what a policy brief is n Do not how to write in appropriate style n Hard to get started n Difficult to identify evidence and recommendations n Difficult to condense ideas and into to 2 pages
You have written your report… n Now, how do you turn it into a policy brief?
Don’t try to edit n Do not try to edit a 300 page report down to 1500 words! n Two problems q Hard to throw things away q What remains has no natural flow
Don’t try to edit Instead…. . q Take a step back q Look at the research through a telescope q Think of the big picture Then write from scratch
Getting from here to there n What is the big picture? What problem did the project address? q What did the project find out? q n Who is your audience? q q q Who is your policy audience? What aspects are of interest to policymakers? What do you want them to do differently?
Writing for Your Audience Ask yourself…… Who am I writing this brief for? Questions to keep in mind when thinking about your audience: • How much do they already know about the issue? • How open are they to your message(s)? • Do they have existing interest in the issue? • What questions do they need answered?
Choosing Your Content: Apply a Laser Focus ü Focus on a single topic ü Define your purpose ü Identify salient points that support the aim ü Distil points to essential info ü Limit yourself to 1, 500 words
Structure of a policy brief Content Title Summary Introduction The body (main text) Policy implications /Recommendations Conclusions Plus… And… Boxes and sidebars Cases Tables Graphics Photographs Authors Acknowledgements Publication details References
Policy Brief Template n Executive Summary n Introduction n Approaches and Results n Conclusion n Implications and Recommendations
STRUCTURE OF A POLICY BRIEF: Executive statement n Designed to give an overview of the content of the brief q q n n Should contain ALL standard elements of a policy brief Emphasis on capturing the attention of the reader Appears on the first page Usually written last Example: This policy brief outlines actions the Tunisian government can take to reduce the remaining barriers to entry, exit and competition in the Tunisian manufacturing industries, with the aim of stimulating a greater dynamism and flexibility than the market has yet to achieve. It concludes that policies should be considered to: • Work with Statistics bureaus to develop and collect information on entry and exit and other indicators of firm dynamics. • Reduce entry barriers by developing market access and increasing the access of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to financial resources. ‘Entry and Exit Dynamics and Economic Performance in Tunisian Manufacturing Industries’, University of Tunis 2009
STRUCTURE OF A POLICY BRIEF: Introduction n Designed to capture the attention of the reader q Explains the importance/ urgency of the issue q Creates curiosity about the rest of the brief n Gives a brief overview of the direction of the rest of the brief n Outlines the structure for the rest of the brief Example: The increased fear of a pandemic at the current time is due to the fact that the H 5 N 1 strain causing the outbreak is capable of mutating rapidly and acquiring genes from viruses infecting other animal species, including humans. If the new virus contained sufficient human influenza virus genes, direct transmission from one person to another (human-to-human) could occur, heralding a possible influenza pandemic. The current H 5 N 1 strain causes high mortality among humans, with mortality rates exceeding 50 per cent in most countries. AN EFFECTIVE REGIONAL RESPONSE TO THE THREAT OF A PANDEMIC UN ESCAP Issue N. 1 2005
STRUCTURE OF A POLICY BRIEF: Methodology TIPS and TRICKS • This section is not always applicable – make sure it’s relevant before including it • Avoid overly technical language • Highlight unique methods or data collection • Focus on methodological issues related to the main messages/ recommendations Designed to strengthen the credibility of the brief by explaining how the findings and recommendations were arrived at.
STRUCTURE OF A POLICY BRIEF: Results and conclusions n Designed as an overview of the findings/ facts n Constructed around the line(s) of argument behind the policy recommendations n Move from general to specific information n Base conclusions on evidence, data and findings n Make clear, balanced and defensible assertions
STRUCTURE OF A POLICY BRIEF: n Implications and recommendations Implications are what could happen n Recommendations are what should happen Both flow from conclusions and must be supported by evidence
Implications: If…Then… n Describe what researcher thinks will be the consequences n Less direct than recommendations n Useful when advice not requested
Recommendations: Call to Action n Describe clearly what should happen next n State as precise steps n Ensure they are relevant, credible and feasible
STRUCTURE OF A POLICY BRIEF: References and Useful resources n Especially when synthesising information from multiple sources, always cite them appropriately and be sure to add a list of references n Include seminal works in the area so those looking for information can easily find out more on the topic Good opportunity to direct readers to other resources produced by the same author/ organisation/ network
DESIGN OF POLICY BRIEFS: Titles and headings n Titles: q n Should convey the main idea of the policy brief Headings q To help readers quickly find the information they need, use clear sections and headings
DESIGN OF POLICY BRIEFS: Photographs n ‘A picture is worth a thousand words!’ n Bold, vibrant colours can help attract readers
DESIGN OF POLICY BRIEFS: Graphs and Charts n Present information in a clear, memorable way n Particularly good for highlighting general trends or significant differences n Should go beyond information provided in the text to give a more complete picture
DESIGN OF POLICY BRIEFS: Text boxes n A chance to tell stories to help the reader connect with the issue n May be used to call attention to a bulleted list n A good place to add extra information that is not critical to the main text but aids in the overall understanding of it
DESIGN OF POLICY BRIEFS: Sidebar n Although not necessary, sidebars can be a useful way of physically framing the text and giving shape to the document n Also useful for including extra information such as: q q q Description of the project, organisation or publication Copyright and contact information Useful resources
Sidebars Add Extra Depth n Is extra to main discussion n Meant to “hook” reader n Sidebars should be: – Short – Descriptive – Stimulating (ask questions) – Focused on action
Content Title: grabs attention, tells reader what is in the document Lead: grabs attention, sets the scene, tells reader what to expect in rest of document Main text: divided into short sections, each on a different aspect Lead Policy messages: if they read only this, they will have got the message! Title Example from Bolivia
India Captions explain and build on photo – make photo not just decoration Bolivia Short, easy-to-read text: don’t make the readers work to understand what you are saying Boxes contain info that does not fit into text Example from India Analysis of examples More analysis
More analysis Policy implications: What does it all mean for policy? Policy implications 4 -5 points Even more analysis Graphic: contrasts situation before decentralization (orange) with after (blue) Caption: Explains graphic Policy implications Graphic and caption
Cases Self-contained, highlight main points only Cases Reference material Where to go for more information Further reading Key refs only “This issue” Who helped put it together This issue
Questions
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