Policy briefs are a key tool to present research and recommendations to a non-specialized audience. They serve as a vehicle for providing evidence-based policy advice to help readers make informed decisions.

A strong policy brief distills research findings in plain language and draws clear links to policy initiatives. The best policy briefs are clear and concise stand-alone documents that focus on a single topic.

Planning your policy brief

Purpose, audience, content, and structure are the vital elements of an influential policy brief.

Purpose

A policy brief should inform readers of a particular issue, suggest possible policy options, and make recommendations. Be upfront about your purpose from the start, maintain a laser focus on your direction, and link every paragraph back to your purpose. Given the conciseness of most policy briefs, do not discuss tangential information. A convincing policy brief should communicate the urgency of the issue and focus on the benefits and advantages of following your policy advice.

Tips:

• Write out your purpose before drafting a brief, refer to it often, and ensure that everything you write serves that purpose.
• The intention of policy briefs is to offer your readers advice on how to solve a specific problem, so stay focused on this target alone.

Audience

Policy briefs should be accessible and targeted to a specific audience. Before you begin writing, establish whom your prospective readers are, their interest in and level of knowledge of the subject, the information they will need to make a decision, and how open they are to your recommendations.

Content

A policy brief should be clear, succinct, and focus on a single topic.

Tips:

• Do not exceed 1,500 words or two pages in length. Define the purpose of your policy brief up front.
• Include only essential information. Avoid tangents or being overly descriptive about methodology.
• Clearly identify the salient points that support your goal.
• Draft a new purpose-driven policy brief instead of summarizing or cutting down an existing report.
• Use plain language.

Structure

The structure should lead the reader from problem to solution. Clearly structure your policy brief before you start writing and use section headings to guide your content. Be clear about your policy recommendations and how they are supported by evidence.

The structure should be audience-specific and reflect each audience’s interests. For example, a focus on evidence is relevant for researchers, but a government official may value brevity and clear analysis of policy impacts.

Tip:

• Some typical section headings are summary, context, analysis/discussion, considerations, conclusion/recommendation.

Policy brief template

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to writing policy briefs because the topic and audience will shape each one. However, effective policy briefs tend to contain the same key elements and therefore have similar structures: an executive summary, an introduction, an overview of the research or problem, an examination of the findings, and a concluding section that explains the policy recommendations and implications of the research.

Review the elements of an effective structure (in detail below) before writing your policy brief. Examples drawn from IDRC’s GrOW policy briefs are included throughout to help you gain a better understanding of layout and the content requirements of each section.

Executive summary

Every policy brief should open with a short summary. This overview should be engaging and help busy readers quickly understand your argument. Most summaries take the form of a short paragraph or two, but some authors prefer to structure theirs as a few bullet points. Regardless of which style you choose, an effective executive summary should condense the essence of the brief down to a few sentences.

Tips:

• The executive summary should always appear on the cover of the brief or at the top of the first page so that it is the first thing a reader will see.
• It can be helpful to write the executive summary last because you will gain clarity on its content as you draft the other sections.

Increasing women’s support for democracy in Africa includes both a written overview and a bulleted list of key results (an executive summary does not need to include both, but each is effective). The overview provides a brief summary of the research while the key results present the findings at a glance.

Introduction

The introduction should set up the rest of the document and clearly convey your argument. In one or two paragraphs, define why you are writing the brief and express the urgency and importance of the topic to your audience. A good introduction should contain all of the relevant information for your argument. Describe the key questions of your analysis and your conclusions. The goal is to leave your readers with a clear sense of what your research is about while enticing them to continue reading.

”What’s at Stake?”, the introduction for Increasing women’s support for democracy in Africa, vividly presents the issues and relevance of the research in only a few short paragraphs. A succinct summary of the brief’s goals gives the reader a firm understanding of the shape of the rest of the paper.

Research overview

This is one of the most important sections of the brief because it explains the reasoning behind your policy recommendations. In effect, this section describes the problem that your policy recommendations intend to solve.

Provide a summary of the facts to describe the issues, contexts, and research methods. Focus on two main elements: the research approach and the research results.

• Research approach: explain how the study was conducted, who conducted it, how the data was collected, and any other relevant background information.
• Research results: paint a general picture of the research findings before moving on to the specifics.

Present the results in a way that lends them to your analysis and argument, but do not interpret them yet. By the end of this section, the reader should have a firm understanding of the research and be primed for your argument. The goal is to take them on a journey that ends with them seeing the facts from your perspective.

Tips:

• Avoid jargon and overly technical language.
• Focus on highlighting the benefits and opportunities stemming from the research.

​The research overview (entitled “Research approach”) in Reducing child marriage and increasing girls’ schooling in Bangladesh provides an explanation of the research methodology without becoming mired in too much detail. The author favours simple language and a straightforward overview of the numbers instead of using jargon or complex statistics. The research results are discussed in the following section, an effective choice for research that requires a good deal of data analysis to contextualize the findings.

Discussion/analysis of research findings

This section should interpret the data in a way that is accessible and clearly connected to your policy advice. Express ideas using active language and strong assertions. The goal is to be convincing, but ensure that your analysis is balanced and defensible. Explain the findings and limitations of the research clearly and comprehensively. For example, if the original hypothesis was abandoned, explain why.

Tip:

• Express research findings in terms of how they relate to concrete realities (instead of theoretical abstractions) so the reader will have a clear idea of the potential effects of policy initiatives.

The “Key findings” section of How to grow women-owned businesses provides a brief overview of the findings before breaking down the results. Each research finding is presented independently and with clear headings. Even if a reader only skims the document, the headings provide a general understanding of the research findings. The graphics in this section quickly convey information from the research findings and they help to visually break up the text on the page.

Conclusion and recommendation

This final section of the policy brief should detail the actions recommended by the research findings. Draw the link for your readers between the research findings and your recommendations. Use persuasive language to present your recommendations, but ensure that all arguments are rooted firmly and clearly in evidence produced by the research. You want your readers to be completely convinced that yours is the best advice.

Examine the implications and the recommendations produced by the research. Implications are the effects that the research could have in the future. They are a soft but persuasive approach to describe the potential consequences of particular policies. This is a good opportunity to provide an overview of policy alternatives by presenting your reader with the full range of policy options.

Follow up the implications with your recommendations. Beyond being descriptive, your recommendations should act as a call to action by stating precise, relevant, credible, and feasible next steps. It may strengthen your argument to demonstrate why other policies are not as effective as your recommendations.

Tip:

• Think of the conclusion as a mirror to your introduction: you are once again providing an overview of your argument, but this time you are underlining its strength rather than introducing it.

”Lessons for policy and practice”, the conclusion of Unpaid care and women’s empowerment: Lessons from research and practice, presents a series of broad policy recommendations that are clearly linked back to the research. Each recommendation has its own section and heading to make them easy to identify and understand.

Designing your policy brief

A policy brief should be convincing and interesting to read. The design and presentation of your brief are important considerations and can help keep the reader engaged. Use compelling titles and headings, sidebars featuring interesting details, bulleted lists to summarize your points, and graphics such as charts and images.

Titles and headings

A title should act as a reference point for readers and entice them to read the brief. A good policy brief should also include sub-titles or headings to break up the text and draw the reader’s attention to the main topic of each section. Using verbs can make headings more dynamic, while phrasing them as questions can spark a reader’s curiosity. The best titles contain relevant information without being too long or cumbersome.

Sidebars

Sidebars add greater depth to the main discussion and hook a reader’s attention. An effective sidebar should be short, descriptive, engaging, and action-oriented. The goal is to add extra detail and depth to help the reader understand and engage with the topic. Sidebars also visually break up the brief and make the document easier to read. Sidebars, like all other content in the policy brief, should advance the main argument.

Lists

Lists are an effective and visually interesting way to simplify dense content. They are useful for highlighting important information because they draw the reader’s eye. Lists should be no longer than five to seven bullet points (if lists are too short they may seem pointless, if they are too long they may be daunting). Each bullet point should express complete thoughts (avoid using bullet points that are only one or two words in length).

Graphics

Visuals are easily one of the best ways to make policy briefs more interesting for readers. Choose effective visuals for the type of information you would like to communicate. For example, pie charts and bar graphs are preferable to data tables to illustrate findings. Include captions for photos and other visuals that explain the content to the reader. Every visual should serve a purpose and help to illustrate your argument.

Revising your policy brief

Once the policy brief has been drafted, reflect once again on its purpose, audience, content, and structure. Will your brief help to achieve your goals? Test it by trying to explain it in a twenty-second elevator pitch and assessing what information stands out. Revise the brief to make it as user-friendly as possible by removing jargon and statistics that make it less approachable. Ask a colleague with no prior knowledge of the issue to read the brief and provide feedback. What points do they draw from it, and do they match your intentions?

Using your policy brief

A good policy brief can play double duty by standing on its own or as an effective accompaniment to a presentation. Tailor any accompanying visual presentation to your brief by focusing only on the key points and answering important questions. Your audience can refer to the document when needed, so avoid repeating all of the brief’s text in your presentation. When distributing your policy brief, it is often a good idea to develop a short question-and-answer package and a section for further reading.

Source: How to write a policy brief (IDRC)

Bài viết How to write a policy brief đã xuất hiện đầu tiên vào ngày EEPSEA Partnership.

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Research Report: Download
Country: Philippines
Publication Year: 1997
Research Areas: Water Resources
Research Topic: Water Pricing
Analytical Framework: Resource Pricing

Bài viết Pricing for Groundwater Use of Industries in Metro Manila, Philippines đã xuất hiện đầu tiên vào ngày EEPSEA Partnership.

By Ma. Salome B. Bulayog, Humberto R. Montes Jr., Suzette B. Lina, Teofanes A. Patindol, Adelfa C. Diola, Eliza D. Espinosa, Analyn M. Mazo, Julissah C. Evangelio, Art Russel R. Flandez, Marianne A. Gesultura, and Ris Menoel R. Modina
Summary: This study assessed the existing natural resources in Sogod Bay, Southern Leyte, Philippines, and determined how their quality has been affected by the economic activities in the area. Soil physical analysis revealed that some nutrients in the study sites are deficient, particularly phosphorus. A diverse species of mangroves and macroinvertebrates can be found at the study sites. Those with MPAs have good coral covers and high life form diversity indices, while the opposite was observed in non-MPA sites. However, there were also non-MPA sites that exhibited good coral covers and rich species diversity. Results also showed that the natural resources in Sogod Bay are no longer as productive as before due to the decreased quality of these resources. Based on survey results, most households are less dependent on fishery and farming as livelihood sources; most households had nonfarm income sources, which are the largest contributors to household income. Meanwhile, the valuation results indicate that the values of the provisioning services of these ecosystems are higher in sites with MPA and in farms with adequate nutrients and proper cultivation. Hence, this study recommends establishing marine sanctuaries and improving land productivity to restore the marine and terrestrial ecosystems in Sogod Bay.

Bài viết Assessment of Natural Assets in the Agricultural and Aquatic Ecosystems in Sogod Bay, Southern Leyte đã xuất hiện đầu tiên vào ngày EEPSEA Partnership.

By Kannika Thampanishvong
Summary: This study used the field experiment approach to assess how effective information and feedback provision about electricity consumption is to influence households to conserve energy. This approach relied on statistical methods to establish whether households in the treatment groups were able to reduce their electricity consumption with respect to the control group. Three treatments were considered, (1) self vs. neighbors’ electricity consumption comparison (Treatment 1); (2) provision of general advice on electricity saving (Treatment 2); and (3) advice on electricity saving as well as self vs. neighbors’ comparison (Treatment 3). A total of 138 households in the Minburi and Nongjok districts of Bangkok participated in this experiment. Results showed that households that had received both electricity-saving advice and peer-comparison feedback (Treatment 3) were able to significantly decrease their electricity consumption relative to the control group. This supports the hypothesis that the electricity conservation “nudge” of providing feedback to households on their own and peers’ home electricity usage works in terms of eliciting behavioral changes and in influencing a reduction in residential electricity consumption. Telling people how their energy consumption compares to that of their neighbors has the statistically significant impact of reducing their consumption by about 6%, and that providing energy-saving “hints” has a positive but more modest positive effect.

Bài viết Using Feedback as a Tool for Household Energy Conservation: An Experimental Approach đã xuất hiện đầu tiên vào ngày EEPSEA Partnership.

By Tran Huynh Bao Chau and Le Thi Quynh Anh
Summary: This study estimated the health impact value of the VietGAP program on the health of farmers in Thua Thien Hue province. By employing the propensity score matching (PSM) method, findings show that the VietGAP program has a significant impact on farmers’ health. In particular, the program reduces farmers’ health problems due to pesticide exposure by 15.6%, 22.9%, 25.5%, and 23.6%, respectively, based on four types of matching. Most health problems due to pesticide exposure are moderate in severity and have short-term effects. Conventional farmers experience more health problems with more significant symptoms than VietGAP farmers do. By applying the health cost derived from direct and indirect costs, the health impact value from the VietGAP program is VND 521,870. Many farmers are aware of the harmful effects of pesticide use; intensive use of pesticides and using inadequate protective equipment increase the health risks faced by farmers. This study provided evidence of the positive impacts of the VietGAP program on the health status of farmers in Thua Thien Hue province. It is therefore hoped that the production, consumption, and management solutions provided by the VietGAP program can encourage farmers to use environment-friendly agricultural practices.

Bài viết Impact of VietGAP Vegetable Production on the Health of Farmers in Thua Thien Hue Province, Vietnam đã xuất hiện đầu tiên vào ngày EEPSEA Partnership.

By Phumsith Mahasuweerachai and Piyaluk Buddhawongsa
Summary: This study accessed the impact of government aid on farmers’ adaptation to climate change in Nam Phong River Basin, Thailand. This area is prone to flooding between September and October. After the floods, the government generally provides financial compensation to affected farmers of about 70%– 80% of the cropping costs. Our study found that this sort of help from the government is likely to discourage farmers to adapt to climate change. This study found that farmers who believe that the government will step in whenever they suffer losses from floods are more likely to stay with their current crop pattern that carries the highest risk of flooding. In addition, government support was also found to undermine the crop insurance market that the government has been trying to develop.

Bài viết Farmers’ Adaptation to Flood Disasters: Evidence from the Mekong River Basin in Thailand đã xuất hiện đầu tiên vào ngày EEPSEA Partnership.

By Gem B. Castillo, Somaly Chan, Li Wenjun, Li Yanbo, H. Luthfi Fatah, Sivannakone Malivarn, Kian Foh Lee, Alexander D. Anda Jr., Prinyarat Laengcharoen, Pham Duc Chien, and Benoit Laplante
Summary: This cross-country study examined how park managers and decision makers in Southeast Asia responded in the face of pressures on PAs, and assessed the level of resource gaps based on a number of indicators. A sample of 402 PAs from Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam were surveyed in the study. Of the 16 pressure and 15 response variables identified for the pressure-response analysis, the indicators of pressure were (1) number of inhabitants per 1,000 hectares (ha) (or per square kilometer) of PA; (2) population adjacent to the PA per 1,000 ha of the PA; (3) number of visitors per 1,000 ha; (4) length of trails per 1,000 ha; and (5) length of roads per 1,000 ha. The response indicators were (1) full-time staff per 1,000 ha; (2) number of enforcement staff per 1,000 ha; (3) expenditure for operations per hectare; and (4) patrol stations per 1,000 ha.

Bài viết Fiscal Gaps and Financing of Southeast Asia’s Protected Areas: A Cross-Country Analysis đã xuất hiện đầu tiên vào ngày EEPSEA Partnership.

By Sarun Kamolthip
Summary: This study aimed to design a desirable payment for environmental services (PES) program to be implemented in Eastern Thailand. Landowners’ preferences on program factors were both identified and quantified using a choice experiment. The results showed that all hypothetical programs attributes were statistically significant to landowners’ participation decisions, except free-to-choose in-kind benefits. On the average, landowners preferred the land-use option that allowed them to cultivate and manage the enrolled land under the program. The length of contract adversely affected landowners’ participation in the hypothetical PES program. The other three program attributes of unrestricted amount of minimum land to enroll into the program and two in-kind benefits (advisory services and ecotourism-related job training) had positive impacts on landowners’ participation decisions. Willingness to accept (WTA) calculations suggested that higher monetary incentives could help induce landowners to participate in PES programs that generate desirable environmental benefits. Moreover, the WTA estimates showed that in-kind benefits could enhance the attractiveness of a PES program and significantly reduce the need for monetary incentives.

Bài viết Landowners’ Preferences for a Payment for Environmental Services Program: A Case Study in East Thailand đã xuất hiện đầu tiên vào ngày EEPSEA Partnership.

By Suparee Boonmanunt, Thomas Lauer, Bettina Rockenbach, Arne Weiss
Summary: This study investigates the effects of others’ time preferences on the subjects’ decisions for a group. A lab-in-the-field experiment with Thai coastal villagers was conducted to elicit time preferences. First, the participants decide for themselves and results show that on average, their choices show a present bias. The participants then decide for a group that include themselves. Prior to this decision, the participants are informed about the choices that the other members made in the individual setting. Results show that the choices made for the group are significantly less present-biased. The mechanism driving this result is that the information about a more patient member is more influential than the information about a less patient member. This study also examines the relationship between intertemporal decisions and conservation. A mangrove-planting activity was organized to observe the participants’ actual contribution to a conservation activity. The number of mangrove seeds planted and the participants’ membership status in a conservation group were used as proxies for their individual conservation decisions. Results suggest that less present-biased participants contribute more to the planting activity and seem to be more likely to be members of the conservation group, although conservation decisions are unrelated to the villagers’ long-run discounting.

Bài viết Intertemporal Decisions for Oneself and for a Group and Conservation Decisions: Evidence from a Thai Coastal Village đã xuất hiện đầu tiên vào ngày EEPSEA Partnership.

By Zhu Zhen, Shen Yueqin, and Bai Jiangdi
Summary: Climate change and carbon emission reductions are growing concerns all over the world. It is suggested that mitigating climate change by enhancing forest carbon sequestration (FCS) may be a relatively low-cost option and would likely yield other environmental benefits. In the last few years, China has become the country with the largest artificial afforestation area in the world, and it pays a lot of attention to FCS projects. After collective forest tenure reform in China in the last 10 years, small-scale households have become the main subject of forest management endeavors as potential suppliers of FCS. This study aimed to determine how the risk attitudes of small-scale rural households affect FCS outcomes and their willingness to participate in FCS projects.

Bài viết How the Risk Attitudes of Small-Scale Households Drive Forest Carbon Sequestration Supply: A Risk Experiment in China đã xuất hiện đầu tiên vào ngày EEPSEA Partnership.