Policy Briefs
Guidelines and tips for better policy
briefs:
1. Stay on 1 (and only one) page.
Two reasons: (1) That is the rule for Policy Briefs in this class. (2)
Policymakers in the real world are very busy and often only read the
first page anyway. Stuff on the second page gets ignored.
2. Format for easy digestion: Use section headers, bullet points and
numbered lists, bold font for key words and phrases, etc. The easier it
is to absorb the information quickly, the more the reader will remember
and retain for later use.
3. Focus recommendations on
policies your audience can actually influence. Recommendations which
are generally good ideas but that your reader has no power to effect
are not very useful. (E.g., The World Bank has no leverage to force
countries to end biofuel subsidies or to allow food exports.)
4. Think about the timeframe for
appropriate actions and policy responses to the issue, and tailor
recommendations to that timeframe. (E.g., If the world is in the midst
of a food crisis, you need at least one recommendation for what to do
to provide immediate-term relief.)