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ODI How To Write A Policy Brief

This document provides guidance on how to write an effective policy brief. It explains that policy briefs are concise documents that focus on a particular policy issue and present recommendations supported by evidence. The document outlines that policy briefs should have four main sections: an introduction explaining the issue's urgency, results and conclusions presenting findings, implications or recommendations, and references. It also notes that briefs are typically four pages and organized with an executive summary, introduction, methodology, body, and conclusion. Formatting techniques like visuals can highlight key messages and tell a bigger story within the limited space.

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380 views2 pages

ODI How To Write A Policy Brief

This document provides guidance on how to write an effective policy brief. It explains that policy briefs are concise documents that focus on a particular policy issue and present recommendations supported by evidence. The document outlines that policy briefs should have four main sections: an introduction explaining the issue's urgency, results and conclusions presenting findings, implications or recommendations, and references. It also notes that briefs are typically four pages and organized with an executive summary, introduction, methodology, body, and conclusion. Formatting techniques like visuals can highlight key messages and tell a bigger story within the limited space.

Uploaded by

yandhias
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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How to Write a Policy Brief

Policy briefs are concise, standalone documents focussing on a particular issue requiring policy attention.
They can be particularly effective in bridging the research and policy divide. Typical policy briefs have four
main functions: to explain and convey the urgency of the issue; to present policy recommendations or
implications on the issue; to provide evidence to support the reasoning behind those recommendations;
and to point the reader to additional resources on the issue.

Planning a policy brief

When planning a policy brief, there are several factors to keep in mind. The RAPID Framework provides a
good set of questions to think through and considers the political context, evidence, links and external
factors. These can help zero in on the targeted policy actors and processes.

After having a clear understanding of the policy environment in which you are working, you will need to plan
both the content and format of your brief. To develop the main content elements, there are four main steps:

These elements will translate into different sections of the policy brief (see overleaf).

Writing Tips and Tricks

 Make it stick! (Heath  Understand the audience


2007) o Policy briefs are for decision makers
o Simple and sometimes practioners, but not
o Unexpected the general public nor academics.
o Concrete o Policy makers may not be experts on
the issue, but they will likely have a
o Credible basic understanding of the policy area.
o Emotional  Tap into ‘fashionable’ ideas, concepts,
o Stories paradigms and wordings when possible
Structure of a policy brief

Generally, policy briefs are four pages in length (around 2200 words, including references and tables).
They are usually organised as follows:

• Executive statement (10%) • Includes a brief overview of all of the parts of


a policy brief
• Should be written last!
• Introduction (10-15%) • Highlights the urgency of the issue using
any entry points identified in Step 4 above
• Gives a brief overview of the conclusions or
the direction of the rest of the brief
• Methodology (5-10%) • Designed to strengthen the credibility of the
brief by explaining how the findings and
recommendations were arrived at
• Not always applicable or necessary
• Results and conclusions (30%) • Designed as an overview of the findings/
facts
• Constructed around the line(s) of argument
behind the policy recommendations as
identified in Step 3 above
• Implications or Recommendations • Based on Step 2 above, this is the most
(30%) important part of the brief
• Usually limited to three implications or
recommendations
• Recommendations, which are direct and
clear suggestions for action, are preferred,
but less direct implications may be more
appropriate depending on the policy context
• References and useful resources • Helps readers find out more on the issue if
(10%) they require more information
• Keep references to a minimum, but include
seminal pieces of work on the issue

Format of a policy brief

In addition to having solid content, policy briefs should also be visually engaging. Common techniques
employed to capture the reader’s eye include the creative use of:

• Titles, standfirsts and headings


• Photographs
• Graphs and charts
• Text boxes
• Pull quotes
• Side bars

These elements can highlight key messages, ideas, facts and statistics. They are also a clever way of
telling a bigger story than space may allow in the main body of the text. For example, a picture can make
the situation more real and tangible by visually telling the story of why the issue is important. A graph can
also help situate the topic in a wider context.

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