Policy Brief Template
PURPOSE:
 The purpose of the policy brief is to convince the target audience of the urgency of the current problem and the need to adopt the preferred alternative or
course of action outlined and therefore, serve as an impetus for action.
 A short document that presents the findings and recommendations of a research project to a non-specialized audience
 A medium for exploring an issue and distilling lessons learned from the research
 A vehicle for providing policy advice.
AUDIENCE:
 The key to success is targeting the particular audience for your message.
 The logical starting point for planning your brief is to think about the needs, interests and concerns of your target readers. In essence, you need to do some
audience research to better understand those you are trying to reach. Think of their age, gender, education, occupation, language and culture.
 Ask yourself how knowledgeable or familiar they are about the subject. Remember, you have to condense, crystallize, and present information in ways that
are easy for your audience to digest and understand.
 Deciding how open they are to the message will help you decide on the tone to use. For example, you may take a soft approach and simply draw
implications from your research. Or you may decide that it is best to be more direct and offer advice.
CRITICAL FACTORS OF POLICY BRIEFS
 Focused – all aspects of the policy brief (from the message to the layout) need to strategically focused on achieving the intended goal of convincing the
target audience.
 Professional, not academic – The common audience for a policy brief is not interested in the research/analysis procedures conducted to produce the
evidence, but are very interested to know the writer’s perspective on the problem and potential solutions based on the new evidence.
 Evidence-based – The policy brief is a communication tool produced by policy analysts and therefore all potential audiences not only expect a rational
argument but will only be convinced by argumentation supported by evidence that the problem exists and the consequences of adopting particular
alternatives.
 Understandable – Using clear and simple language (i.e. not the jargon and concepts of an academic discipline). Providing a well explained and easy to follow
argument targeting a wide but knowledgeable audience.
 Accessible – the writer of the policy brief should facilitate the ease of use of the document by the target audience and therefore, should subdivide the text
using clear descriptive titles to guide the reader.
 Promotional – the policy brief should catch the eye of the potential audience in order to create a favourable impression (e.g. professional, innovative etc) In
this way many brief writers many of the features of the promotional leaflet (use of colour, use of logos, photographs, slogans, illustrative quotes etc).
 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
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Title of the paper
Executive summary
Context and importance of the
problem

The title aims to catch the attention of the reader and compel him/her to read on and so needs to be descriptive,
punchy and relevant.
 The executive summary aims to convince the reader further that the brief is worth in-depth investigation. As such, a 1
to 2 paragraph executive summary commonly includes:
A description of the problem addressed;
A statement on why the current approach/policy option needs to be changed;
Your recommendations for action.
 Does the executive summary describe all the elements of the position paper?
 Does it describe those elements in a way that will be understood by all it is addressed to? Is the summary concise?
 Is (are) your recommendation(s) clearly spelled out?
 An executive summary provides an overview of a larger document. Because a policy brief is short, a traditional
executive summary is not necessary. This short version should be no longer than three to five sentences.
 This summary is used to entice readers to take a closer look at the document. It acts much the same as a “lead in” to
a popular novel, setting the scene and whetting the reader’s appetite for more information. In a few short words, it
gives the reader the gist of the conclusions.
 The executive statement can be printed on the cover page to serve both as a synopsis and an invitation to read
further for the “full story” or it can be put on the top of the first page.
 Though the reader will see it first, you will write it last.
 The purpose of this element is to convince the target audience that a current and urgent problem exists which
requires them to take action. The context and importance of the problem is both the introductory and first building
block of the brief.
 Includes the following:
A clear statement of the problem or issue in focus.
A short overview of the root causes of the problem
A clear statement of the policy implications of the problem which clearly establishes the current importance
and policy relevance of the issue.
Problem History
A. Background of the Problem
• Is the problem adequately explained in terms of where it came from and what led to the problem to place it in
context for the decision maker?
• Are prior efforts to resolve the problem listed and evaluated?
• Is the significance of the problem pointed out?
B. Current Status of the Problem
• This element relies heavily upon the proper completion of element A.
• Is the current status of the problem clearly indicated?
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Have the people currently dealing with the problem--and those that should be currently dealing with the
problem--been properly identified?
C. Importance of the Problem
• What will happen if the problem is left alone?
• Why is it important for policy makers to consider the problem?
Problem Definition
A. Statement of the Problem
• Is the problem clearly defined, using relevant data? (
• For example, if the problem is the inability of a university to play competitive football because of the number of
players ruled ineligible under Proposition 48, have you stated the number of players involved?) Are the cultural
or political aspects of the problem included in the definition?
B. Statement of Methodology Used in Analysis
• Are the methodologies used in the analysis clearly identified, along with the rational for selecting those? (For
example: "Input-output analysis was utilized to account for the resources that would be required for a given
alternative.")
C. Identification of Actors Involved
• Are the major stakeholders involved in the problem clearly identified, along with their values and priorities?
• Are potential players identified, and their possible impact included in the analysis?
D. Impact of the Problem
• Is the influence of the problem on current, related policy areas explained? Are the potential consequences of
the problem developed?
 The aim of this element is to detail shortcomings of the current approach or options being implemented and
therefore, illustrate both the need for change and focus of where change needs to occur.
 The critique of policy options usually includes the following:
A short overview of the policy option(s) in focus
An argument illustrating why and how the current or proposed approach is failing.
It is important for the sake of credibility to recognise all opinions in the debate of the issue.
Alternative Solutions/Policies
A. Listing of the Alternatives Considered
•
Is the list of alternatives complete? Is there an explanation as to why some alternatives were chosen for further
analysis while others were not?
B. Comparison of Alternatives
•
Are possible alternatives compared in terms of their benefits and costs? Are spillover effects identified and
factored into the analysis? Are qualitative elements included with quantitative elements?
C. Constraints, Including Political
•
Are all relevant constraints in terms of technical (state-of-the-art, cost, etc.) taken into account? Has political
feasibility and impact been considered?
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•
Critique of policy option(s)
Policy recommendations
Appendices
Sources consulted or recommended

The aim of the policy recommendations is to provide a detailed and convincing proposal of how the failings of the
current policy approach need to changed. As such this is achieved by including;
A breakdown of the specific practical steps or measures that need to be implemented
Sometimes also includes a closing paragraph re-emphasising the importance of action.
A. Description of Policy Recommendation(s)
•
Are all relevant criteria for selecting among alternatives identified? Is the preferred alternative presented clearly?
B. Rationale for Recommendation(s)
•
Is adequate justification provided for the selection being made? Does that justification include political, as well as
technical aspects?
C. Plan for Implementation
•
Are responsibility centers identified? Is the implementation strategy clearly presented?
D. Provisions for Monitoring/Evaluation
•
Does the implementation plan include provisions for monitoring program implementation and for process and
impact evaluation? Are unintended consequences provided for?
 Although the brief is a short and targeted document, authors sometimes decide that their argument needs further
support and so include an appendix. Appendices should be included only when absolutely necessary.
 Is relevant supporting material presented in a clear manner? Is the source of all material identified?
 Many writers of the policy brief decide not to include any sourcing of their evidence as their focus is not on an
academic audience.
 However, if you decide to include a short bibliography then place it at the end. Many writers prefer to lead their
readers to further reading and so, include a recommended readings section.
 References in a position paper should normally be brief, using the author-date (APA) format (for example: Argyle,
1986, p. 12). A bibliography would normally include only those items actually cited in the text.
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Sources for Policy Brief Template:
http://www.policy.hu/ipf/fel-pubs/samples/PolicyBrief-described.pdf
http://www.valdosta.edu/pa/argyle/POLPOSPA.pdf
http://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=1&ved=0CBMQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.idrc.ca%2Fuploads%2FuserS%2F12246246931PolicyBriefHandout_E.doc&ei=0XTiSv-ZJs_U8AbJwMX6AQ&usg=AFQjCNE2rMlpblKwBob46xU7bYs408czwA
http://www.sanpad.org.za/portal/docs/policy/Writing%20a%20Policy%20Brief%20SANPAD%20seminar.pdf
http://www.openbudgetindex.org/index.cfm?fa=policyBrief
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