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:
1. Define the
problem
2. Assemble some
evidence
3. Construct the
alternatives
4. Select the
criteria
5. Project the
outcomes
6. Confront the
trade-offs
7. Decide
8. 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
1.
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.
2. 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.
3.
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.
4.
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.
5.
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:
· OECD
Agencies in USA also publish policy briefs
in a format that will be discussed in future.
SystemTic approach to policy review for enthusiasts
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