Reference no: EM132311401 , Length: word count : 3500
Assignment details
The policy brief
A policy brief is a form of report designed to facilitate policy-making. The main purpose is to evaluate policy options regarding a specific issue in order for practical decisions to be made about the issue, so the brief should provide evidence and actionable recommendations.
It will include a brief description of the issue, a short overview of the historical context, causes and principles debates and critical issues, and a clear statement of the implications as they relate to current policy. The brief will outline multiple (2 or 3) suggested policies that address the issue that has been selected, and conclude with which of policies you would recommend to the Premier.
The task
You are required to prepare a policy brief that presents the findings and recommendations of a specific issue in corrections (Indigenous incarceration), to a non-specialised audience. The brief is a medium for exploring a single issue and distilling lessons learned from the research and for providing policy advice.
Having a clear and specific purpose or focus
A policy brief should have a particular audience in mind; the Premier of Victoria. It is important to keep this audience in mind when evaluating what information needs to be included in the brief.
• What do they know about the issue already?
• What new information would provide insight to the issue?
• The brief should be limited to one issue or problem.
Be practical and support your ideas with evidence
A policy brief aims to be persuasive and a big part of convincing the target audience of your key message is supporting your ideas with evidence. Evidence should be used to indicate that there is an issue with existing policy and to make recommendations. A policy brief is a practical tool that has real world implications.
Be accessible and succinct
A policy brief uses language that is familiar to the target audience in a clear and simple manner (but not conversational). It should also be logical and be easy to follow. The assumption should be made that the target audience does not have time to read a lot of text, so the brief should be formatted clearly with descriptive headings.
References and acknowledgements
A policy brief needs to include references and acknowledgements so that information or statistics used and/or referred to as part of the brief, can be found and followed up on, if necessary.
Outlined sections of the executive summary
Title page
The title needs to be brief and represent the issue you are focusing on. Include the key terms that relate to your brief.
Introduction
This section aims to highlight to the reader the current state of affairs relating to the selected issues. You will need to introduce the general field of the topic area and then narrow to the specific area of your policy brief.
Please note: You do not need to reiterate all of the information you presented in your executive summary, instead summarise the main arguments, ensuring you explain the significance/urgency of the issue and describe the objective of the brief. Provide an overview of your conclusions.
Context and Implications
This section outlines what policies/decisions lead to the current state of affairs. You should provide a summary of the facts that describes the issue and the context for the issues, that is what lead to this problem? You should also describe the implications of this issue. What will be the continued implications if this issue is not addressed?
Response and Recommendations
This section is where you detail what changes need to be made to existing policy in light of the problems you outlined in the introduction and implications section. It will usually contain a list of practical steps or actions that need to be taken, and by whom, to address the issue.
This might contain a concluding statement that reiterates the key message and suggests the significance of the proposed recommendations.
• Your response and recommendations should be based on relevant theoretical frameworks, current empirical evidence, and/or appropriate case studies.
• Describe clearly what should happen next.
• Outline the precise steps required to implement the policy change.
• Ensure the responses are relevant, credible and feasible.
When considering the feasibility of your suggestions, you should think about the following; time frame, cost, budget and agencies involved (government, private, NGOs, etc.)
Conclusion
The conclusion should summarise the main arguments presented throughout the policy brief. You should aim to present concrete conclusions, expressing your ideas using strong assertions. Ensure the ideas are balanced and defensible.