Your Policy Brief is worth 50 points. The point distribution for each
section of the brief is included in Red next to each subheading.
Title of the paper (2 points)
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.
Executive summary (7 points)
The executive summary aims to convince the
reader further that the brief is worth in depth investigation. It is especially
important for an audience that is short of time to clearly see the relevance
and importance of the brief in reading the summary. 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.
Context and importance of the problem (15 points)
The purpose of this element of the brief 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. As such, it usually
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.
It is worth noting that the length of the
problem description may vary considerably from brief to brief depending on the
stage on the policy process in focus, e.g. there may be a need to have a much
more extensive problem description for policy at the evaluation stage than for
one at the option choosing stage.
Critique of policy option(s) (10 points)
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. In doing so, the critique of policy options usually includes the
following:
– A short overview of the policy option(s)
– An argument
illustrating why and how the current
or proposed approach is failing.
It is important for the sake of credibility to
recognize all opinions in the debate of the issue.
Policy recommendations (10 points)
The aim of the policy recommendations element
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-emphasizing
the importance of action.
Sources consulted or recommended (6 points)
Many writers of the policy brief decide not to include any
sourcing of their evidence as their focus is not on an academic audience. For
this assignment, you are required to include a reference page, completed
correctly in APA format. In-text citations must also be completed correctly in
APA format. The quality of your sources is also important. Reminder, you must use a minimum of ten
sources.
Please
note: unless you ask the professor for permission, only ONE of your references
is permitted to be dated earlier than 2013.
In other
words, your academic sources must be dated 2013, unless you ask for permission
and give the professor a rationale for using sources older than this.
Quality and Clarity of Writing: — for each of the sections of your policy brief, points
may be subtracted if the quality and clarity of the writing is poor. Please be
certain to not only spell check your paper but also Proof Read it for potential errors that spell check may miss.
