Handout at the AERC/GDN Policy Briefs workshop

1.
WRITING
POLICY
BRIEFS
WHAT
IS
A
POLICY
BRIEF,
AND
WHY
IS
IT
IMPORTANT?
A
policy
brief
is
a
short
stand-­‐alone
document,
focused
on
a
single
topic,
presenting
and
unpacking
the
findings
and
recommendations
of
a
research
project
for
an
audience
without
specialist
knowledge,
and
those
who
simply
do
not
have
the
time
to
read
long
research
documents.
The
main
audience
of
a
policy
brief
are
those
involved
in
the
decision-­‐making
process
(i.e
decision
makers)
who
may
know
little
or
nothing
about
the
topic
but
probably
need
to
have
a
general
knowledge
and
background
information
in
order
to
express
an
opinion
or
make
a
decision.
In
simple
terms,
a
policy
brief
is
a
clear
message
tailored
for
a
policy
audience.
Policy
briefs
are
an
essential
tool
for
bridging
the
research
to
policy
divide.
They
are
usually
between
two
to
four
pages
in
length;
between
1000
and
2000
words.
Make
sure
you
are
clear
about
your
audience,
what
they
need
to
know
and
what
action
you
want
them
to
take
based
on
your
policy
brief;
“writing
that
does
not
consider
the
audience
is
unlikely
to
succeed
in
its
objectives”(Datta
&
Pellini,
2011).
IS
WRITING
AN
EFFECTIVE
POLICY
BRIEF
REALLY
THAT
DIFFICULT?
Learning
to
write
effective
policy
briefs
takes
time
and
patience.
Research
may
lose
its
‘purity’
and
findings
can
be
easily
misrepresented
through
a
poorly-­‐written
policy
brief.
Policy-­‐
makers,
constrained
by
time
and
overwhelmed
by
various
sources
of
information,
are
likely
to
make
a
snap
decision
when
choosing
information
to
inform
their
decisions.
This
means
that
your
brief
must
stand
out
from
the
rest,
in
both
its
presentation
and
the
clarity
of
content.
You
are
trying
to
sell
your
research,
so
be
clear,
and
be
heard!
INGREDIENTS
OF
AN
EFFECTIVE
POLICY
BRIEF
1.
Think
about
your
audience:
Know
who
your
readers
are,
how
knowledgeable
they
are
about
your
subject,
how
open
they
are
to
your
core
message,
and
what
their
interests
and
concerns
are.
Make
sure
you
tailor
your
key
messages
accordingly.

2.
2.
Think
about
the
context:
You
need
to
be
aware
of
the
political
context
in
which
your
target
audience
operates.
Remember
that
policy
makers
are
not
a
homogenous
group;
needs
and
priorities
differ
by
sector
and
ministry,
the
level
of
position
(national
vs.
sub-­‐
national),
role
in
policy-­‐making
process
(level
of
power);
and
phase
of
the
policy/decision-­‐
making
process.
In
order
to
be
applicable,
your
policy
brief
needs
to
be
designed
and
tailored
to
the
context
in
which
your
audience
operates.
3.
Evidence
-­‐
Develop
a
persuasive
argument:
Think
about
“what
value
does
this
have
for
the
reader?”
Develop
a
persuasive
line
of
argument
stating
clearly
the
purpose
of
your
brief
and
providing
an
overview
of
your
evidence.
Articulate
your
message
in
a
way
that
demonstrates
the
quality
of
your
research,
legitimacy
of
your
findings
and
transparency
of
the
evidence
underpinning
your
policy
recommendations.
TIPS
FOR
WRITING
A
POLICY
BRIEF
1.
Be
Focused.
All
aspects
of
the
policy
brief
(from
the
message
to
the
layout)
need
to
be
clearly
focused
on
your
target
audience,
(so
ask
yourself
‘How
can
my
policy
brief
have
the
most
possible
impact
on
this
audience?’).
Your
argument
must
build
on
what
they
already
know
about
a
problem,
and
then
provide
insight
on
what
they
don’t
know,
and
introduce
your
evidence
on
how
the
problem
can
be
tackled.
2.
Keep
the
audience
in
mind
while
writing.
Use
a
professional
as
opposed
to
an
academic
tone.
3.
Ground
your
argument
in
strong
and
reliable
evidence.
4.
Be
Brief.
The
focus
of
the
brief
needs
to
be
limited
to
a
particular
problem
or
area
of
a
problem.
Don’t
try
to
cover
all
elements
of
your
research
in
one
policy
brief.
5.
Get
to
the
point.
Be
succinct
and
to
the
point,
using
short
sentences
and
paragraphs.
6.
Think
about
your
language.
This
not
only
refers
to
using
clear
and
simple
language
(i.e.
not
the
jargon
and
concepts
of
an
academic
discipline)
but
also
to
providing
a
well-­‐explained
and
easy-­‐to-­‐
follow
argument
targeting
a
wide
but
knowledgeable
audience.
7.
Make
the
text
accessible.
Make
it
easy
for
your
reader
to
read
all
the
way
through
by
subdividing
the
text
using
clear
descriptive
titles
as
guides
(i.e.
the
above-­‐mentioned
structure).
8.
Be
creative.
The
policy
brief
should
catch
the
eye
of
the
potential
audience
in
order
to
create
a
favourable
impression
(e.g.
professional,
innovative
etc.).
Think
creatively
about
how
you
present
the
information,
e.g.
use
of
colours,
logos,
photographs,
slogans,
illustrative
quotes,
boxes,
etc.
9.
Be
practical
and
feasible.
The
policy
brief
is
an
action-­‐oriented
tool
targeting
policy
practitioners.
As
such,
the
brief
must
provide
arguments
based
on
what
is
actually
happening
in
practice
with
a
particular
policy,
and
propose
recommendations
which
seem
realistic
to
the
target
audience.
10.
Make
your
policy
brief
travel.
Don’t
expect
your
brief
to
be
read.
Put
some
energy
behind
it,
engage
with
information
intermediaries
(whose
job
it
is
to
access
research
information
and
tailor
it
for
different
audiences),
or
go
directly
to
policy
makers
and
make
them
aware
of
your
policy
brief.
You
could
also
explore
using
social
media
such
as
Twitter,
Social
Bookmarking
to
bring
attention
to
your
policy
brief.