Writing a Policy Brief
A policy brief is a short action-oriented document, written for a target audience to present a new policy, research findings, or recommendations for a policy change.
A policy brief often includes some of the following sections
| Title |
- Keep it short and memorable.
- Use it to capture the reader’s attention.
- It should communicate the purpose of the brief.
|
|
Executive Summary
|
The purpose of this section is to provide the reader with a high-level overview of the policy brief.
- The section is 1-2 paragraphs in length.
- The problem or issue is clearly stated.
- It provides the main focus of the solution.
|
| Problem |
This section provides details about the problem and convinces the reader that immediate action is necessary.
- Focuses on the problem.
- It provides 4 or 5 of the most important facts concerning the failures of the current policy.
- This section concludes with information about the impact of the current failures.
|
| Policy Alternatives |
The purpose of this section is to convince the reader of the best solution.
- Discuss the current policy.
- Provide a discussion of the alternatives considered.
- Provide information concerning how each option was evaluated.
- Provide the reader with a balanced argument discussing why the chosen option is the best alternative.
- This section sometimes includes examples, data, comparisons, and visuals (graphs, tables, charts).
|
| Policy Recommendations |
This section is the “how-to” section. Explain how the preferred option will be implemented.
- Includes an overview of what actions need to be taken by each stakeholder.
- The steps need to be practical.
- The reader should understand how the actions work together to achieve the desired result.
- This section sometimes includes visuals (graphs, tables, charts).
|
| Resources |
This section contains a reference list of the resources used to support the information provided in the policy brief.
|
