During my Masters at the London School of Economics and Political Science, we spent an entire semester acquiring skills to write policy brief, also known as policy memo. It was a rigorous exercise. Just understanding a problem clearly took a month! We relied on credible sources of information i.e. the documents published by the Home Office of the Government of United Kingdom, which was headed by Ms. Theresa May in 2014. Often, documents known as "Consultation Papers" published by administrative ministries seek public opinion or stakeholder engagement, where sophistical tools like policy briefs could aid decision-making within the government. In India, the practice of public consultation has not been new: many regulatory agencies, line ministries and houses of parliament seek comments from public on matters of national importance.
Generally, there is no format for responding to the consultation papers, so stakeholders send their comments as notes or opinion pieces, which may be published on the websites of these agencies. Even the country's prime and refurbished think tank, NITI Aayog does not have any section for publishing or accepting policy briefs, like many of the international counterparts and development agencies. Given this backdrop, one must ask if it is of use to learn and acquire skills in writing policy briefs in India.
Policy briefs internationally do not have a standardized format or acceptable length. Some may go in for a 700-word brief, while others mandate a piece that could be up to 2,500-3,000 words long. However, India being a democracy that cherishes opposing views, and off-late disruptive ones, objective or critical policy briefs are more suited for India's environment. What this essentially means is that the author(s) must critically evaluate both sides of the views and present recommendations that are thoroughly analysed and scientifically backed. It would be an interesting exercise to check some of the policy briefs of Indian think tanks that are mandated to publish policy briefs since they are funded by international funding agencies, which find this task a good think tank/ policy advocacy outcome/ practice. However, streamlining this practice in the government machinery still remains a challenging task as till date decision-making is intrinsically an internal activity. Social media is a close influence to policy choice, however, evidence lacks this claim to date.
So the question remains: how does a common citizen, researcher or a policy entrepreneur engage with the government in a transparent manner and influence government decisions?
Among other official and unofficial approaches, investing time in writing a policy brief is an effective exercise! It not just brings clarity in complex problems of public policy, but also facilitates decision-making. Many times, government engages with stakeholders behind closed doors. Under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, one could question the intent of the government, however, it remains a cumbersome process. The discretion and perception of the designated official(s) attending to the RTI prevails. Social media has made a remarkable change in governance in many countries. However, it continues to lack confidence as authenticity of social media account holders cannot be verified in many cases, so the genuineness of information is under question. Participating in policy-making in a more scientific and creative manner could thus be a win-win for both the government and external member. There is however, a need to communicate with the government as a trained professional, to gauge their interest yet being precise. This is the skill where writing a policy brief comes handy.
Since there is no standard practice for writing policy briefs, a tested analytical framework for problem solving known as the Bardach's Eightfold Path for policy analysis is highly useful and recommended for beginners for writing a policy brief. While there are a number of think tanks and international agencies like IDRC, ICPA and the FAO that attempt to provide a practitioner's view in writing policy briefs, Bardach's academic approach breaks the policy problem into clusters that could be objectively followed like an algorithm, providing rational set of solution(s). The 8 steps are as follows:
- Define the problem
- Assemble some evidence
- Construct the alternatives
- Select the criteria
- Project the outcomes
- Confront the trade-offs
- Decide
- Tell your story
Mastering writing a policy brief using the above framework could be done by referring to the book: Bardach, E. (2012). A practical guide for policy analysis: The eightfold path to more effective problem solving (4th ed.). Los Angeles: Thousand Oaks: Sage; CQ Press.
One must get the brief reviewed by a qualified policy practitioner before submitting to the correct stakeholder.
Some FAQs on Policy Brief that compiled from a workshop I had taken at Bangalore, India last year are shared for more insights on the topic:
FAQs on Policy Brief
- Where can policy briefs be published?
- Since policy briefs express your position about an issue or area of interest, the most common medium for publishing it would be online. Many organisations with an active interest in policy matters have a dedicated section of their website to policy briefs. As an individual, you can publish it on the website of a government agency in response to their request for stakeholder comments. You can also send these directly to the respective government/ state heads through the offline/ official route.
- Who is the audience for policy brief?
- Ideally, the main audience for policy briefs are decision-makers within the government as they form part of the 'executive' or facilitate implementation of policies. Policy briefs can also be addressed to 'elected representatives' who currently hold an official position in the government. However, since the issues addressed in policy briefs affect people at large, it must be written in a clear and concise manner, in a language that could be understood by a layperson.
- What should be the length of policy brief?
- Generally, policy briefs should not exceed 2,000-2,500 words or 7-8 pages. It is however, a good idea to keep it restricted to 1,500 words or up to 4 pages.
- Which are the online/ offline mediums where policy briefs can be sent in India?
- Since policy briefs are an instrument to communicate with the policy-makers, there are a number of government websites where these can be submitted. For e.g. the website of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) regularly publishes consultation papers for comments from various stakeholders. Similarly, NITI Aayog, the think tank of the Government of India, the Ministry of Finance and several other government agencies publish various reports and papers, where 'policy enthusiasts' could use policy briefs as a tool for communicating with the government.
- At present, there is no format for submitting your comments on policy matters to the central or state governments India. Both private sector and individuals use their own online/ offline formats that run into pages, losing essence for the reader. Policy brief can, therefore be an effective and powerful tool, given the current scenario in India and many other countries.
- What are some of the common formats for preparing policy briefs?
- Although there is no international standardized format for preparing policy briefs, the 8-fold tool taught discussed in the blog is one of the most effective techniques in providing an evidence-based solution to a given policy problem. A number of international organisations, think tanks, NGOs and private sector agencies use their own formats.
Some of them can be viewed below for reference:·
Agencies in USA also publish policy briefs in a format that will be discussed in future.