Policy Writing Guidelines.pdf - Global Debate and Public Policy ...

impact (outcomes) and feasibility of the alternate policies in terms of effectiveness (the extent to which
the policy solves the problem); efficiency (the contrasting of costs and benefits your government will
face while attempting to realize the policy); equity of stakeholders (the identification of winners and
losers as a result of implementing the policy); and the proposed time-frame. Your arguments should not
be based solely on your opinion or unsubstantiated ideas.
Offers viable recommendations: The goal of your memo should be to persuade a decision maker to
implement the policy that you have devised. Your recommendations should take center stage, but you
should also try to show your memo’s audience why those recommendations are better than
alternatives. Your argument should drive the memo and all sections of the policy memo need to build
the pieces of your case together to convince your target audience. Take the time to think about who will
read your memo and what their priorities, prejudices and perspectives will be. You have to promote
your ideas, especially considering this topic is controversial and you cannot assume readers will share
your opinion or automatically agree with your proposed solution.
Evidence-based: It is important to demonstrate that your claims are well-founded; that is, not just based
on your opinion but rather based on evidence from multiple reputable sources. Wherever possible,
review and cite evidence from a primary source. If a newspaper article quotes a particular scientific
study, look up and cite the original source. We have provided you with a background reading and will
also regularly update the list of sources covering the themes and controversies of Digital Freedom and
Its Limits. These documents are the best place to begin the process of learning about the research and
evidence that underlies the policies you will be creating. Please refer to the citation guide (below) to
learn how to reference evidence in your policy memo.
Well-structured and coherent: The policy memo attempts to describe a problem or a set of contestable
issues, reviews the responses available and recommends a particular course of action - the policy itself.
Ensuring a sensible structure to do so is an important part of the writing process. You need to guide your
target audience through the paper by ensuring all sections and arguments are well-structured, logically
developed and focused on the topic. To achieve this, your memo should contain six key elements[1]:
● Title: Try to keep your title concise, so as not to lose the attention of the reader: 10 words or
less is a common rule of thumb. The title of your policy brief may seem like a minor point;
however, the title is the first thing your audience will read of your brief, so it has to attract them
and ensure they consider your paper. Try to make your title memorable by choosing a
provocative or surprising title, so that it sticks in the reader’s mind. It is often best to
communicate your key message and the need for change in the title.
● Description of the problem and proposition of the preferred policy: Describe the issues that
your government must address at the very beginning of your memo. Here you need to state
what you perceive as the problem (including the people and organizations affected by it), based
on one of the four scenarios. Describe the government’s current stance on the issue and any
previous attempt to resolve it. Propose a response to these issues – the policy itself.
● Comparative analysis of policy options and discussion of their impact: In writing the main part
of your memo, look at alternative proposals and analyze them in a comparative fashion. Defend