Description
Write a policy brief from the list of four topics. Come up with a country and an issue to fit in the prompt.
Unformatted Attachment Preview
Foundations of Global Health
POLICY BRIEF ASSIGNMENT
General Instructions
In this course, students will be asked to write two policy briefs selected from the list of
topics below. Papers should be no more than 5 pages in length (strictly enforced)
excluding references and figures/tables (which are not required), 12 pt. font size, 1”
margins, and double spaced.
Please use a standard reference style and include all references used as either footnote
or in a reference list at the end of the paper with references linked to the specific
citation in the text (Wikipedia citations are not acceptable). Please list all the resources
and publications that provide the evidence upon which the briefing is based.
More detailed Instructions and best practices for writing an effective policy brief as
well as a suggested outline and grading rubric are provided below. Please be sure to
carefully read the briefs, guidelines, and rubric prior to writing and ask questions early
on if you need clarification.
Please submit your papers via NYU Brightspace no later than 11:55 pm. on the following
due dates:
● Policy Brief 1 Due on Sunday 10/22/23
● Policy Brief 2 Due on Sunday 12/03/23
Policy Brief Topics
For each policy brief, please select a topic/prompt from the list below. Please note that
you cannot use the same prompt for both briefs (e.g., if you choose #1 for the first brief,
you must select a different one for the second brief). Keep in mind that if the prompt
gives you a particular role (e.g., Minister of Health), you must write the brief from that
person’s point of view.
1. You are the Minister of Health of a country you select. COVID-19 has had a negative
impact on progress toward addressing the different priority disease burdens that
existed in 2020, i.e., before the pandemic. Write a policy brief to the Prime
Minister/President of your country recommending three priority actions that the
country should take to address your country’s delay in progress towards one major
pre-COVID-19 disease priority (e.g., child immunization). Each recommended action
must address barriers created by covid-19 response to one or two of the health
system building blocks within the context of the chosen country: (i) service delivery;
(ii) health workforce; (iii) health information; (iv) medical products, vaccines, and
technologies; (v) health financing; (vi) health leadership and governance; or
community-based interventions.
2. You are the leader of a local community-based organization in an LMIC of your
choice, which represents and advocates for a specific disadvantaged population
1
Foundations of Global Health
group (e.g., women, children, disabled communities, the very poor, older people, etc.).
You need your local politician to advocate for more resources for your organization
in the national parliament. You have been asked to write a policy brief for that local
politician that details two to three actions to improve your disadvantaged population
group’s “equitable” access to specific health services (e.g., maternal health services;
adolescent sexual and reproductive health services; vaccinations; water, sanitation,
and hygiene (WASH); rehabilitation and palliative care, etc.).
3. Though the private sector is encouraged to support achieving the SDGs, there are
often concerns that there may be conflicts of interest in such partnerships with
multilateral e.g., WHO and national public organizations in regard to financing and
other management priorities. You are the head of global affairs at a large
multinational company in a development-related industry (e.g., pharma, health
technology, food and nutrition, clean energy) and are invited to a WHO-sponsored
global forum, which includes international health officials, national leaders, and
corporate executives. In the forum, you are presenting a policy brief proposing three
action steps in which your industry can lead and support the WHO in advancing the
progress on a global health issue you select.
4. You are the new chief executive officer (CEO) of a private foundation that is active in
addressing a global health priority (Choose any ONE global health topic you wish, e.g.
air pollution, non-communicable diseases, gender-based violence, child
malnutrition). Your foundation has been criticized for its efforts being too
disease-focused and failing to also strengthen Primary Health Care (PHC) and you
have to prepare a policy paper for your foundation’s Board of Directors that states
how you will modify your foundation’s current strategies to make them also support
strengthening PHC, and not just one disease area. Your policy paper must include
three areas of action and use a specific low-income country as an example of how to
operationalize your suggested strategies.
2
Foundations of Global Health
POLICY BRIEF OUTLINE & GRADING RUBRIC
Category
Problem & Target Audience:
Poor
Satisfacto
ry
Excelle
nt
0-0.5
1-1.5
2
0-0.5
1-1.5
2
0-0.5
1-1.5
2
1-2
3-5
6
● Clearly state the target audience is for the issue
you selected.
● Clearly state your role as the author of the policy
brief.
● Clearly state the issue/problem you will be
addressing in the brief.
Introduction/Background:
● Provide an explanation of what the issue is and
why it is important to the target audience.
● Provide data/research findings that support
the argument of importance and are relevant
for the target audience (you can include tables,
graphs, or photos to help make your case).
Past and Current Policy Options
● Briefly discuss past and/or current policy
actions that have been taken (globally or
nationally) and identify the strengths and
weaknesses, as well as lessons learned, of the
various efforts.
● Identify different policy options that can build
on past efforts or propose new options being
sure to provide an evidence base for each
option and an explicit consideration of the
feasibility of implementation.
Recommended Action
● Identify the action(s) you recommended from
those available.
3
Foundations of Global Health
● Support your choice of option(s) by providing
an argument illustrating why and how this
option(s) is preferable to the other proposed
options
● Identify the role of key stakeholders needed
for successful implementation.
● Identify the next steps needed by the target
individual or audience to take your
recommendations forward.
References
0
0.5
1
0
0.5-1
2
● Standard reference style is used consistently
throughout the brief and references are
credible sources (e.g., not Wikipedia).
Language & Expression
● Demonstrates clear organization and logical
development of ideas.
● Language is clear and concise.
● The presentation of ideas is free of
grammatical, spelling, punctuation,
typographical errors, colloquialisms, and slang
Total
15
4
Foundations of Global Health
RESOURCE INFORMATION FOR WRITING POLICY BRIEFS *Adapted
from the Global HIV/AIDS Network Policy Briefs Background Document*
What is a policy brief?
A policy brief is a short and concise document that presents research findings,
policy options, and recommendations to individuals in a position to make or
influence policymaking.
Policy briefs synthesize a large amount of complex information and present
findings and recommendations in a format that enables the reader to easily and
quickly understand an issue.
A policy brief is a valuable communications tool with the potential to improve the
chances that policymakers will read, consider, and apply evidence when making
policy decisions.
This is because evidence that is presented through policy briefs is more likely to
reach policymakers who do not have time to read academic papers (or the
expertise to understand them) and are overwhelmed by various sources of
information but need to be informed about a specific issue.
Policy briefs target a particular audience. They do not replace academic
articles and media coverage but complement them.
Policy briefs should be part of any comprehensive communication strategy and
should be used when:
● Research results are applicable to specific national and sub-national
contexts in which policymakers operate,
● Researchers are prepared to make value-driven judgments about the
outcome that would best address a specific issue,
● Policy recommendations are feasible, actionable, and clearly connected
to specific decision-making junctures in the policy-making process.
Writing policy briefs: Start with the issue
● Identify an issue, not just a topic. Topics identify a subject of study – but
issues identify a specific problem that can have many potential solutions.
● Frame your issue in one sentence. A framed issue helps define the problem
and identify potential solutions.
● Put forward a statement of purpose early in the text that clearly
communicates what the policy brief will tell the reader and that acts as an
enticement to the reader
5
Foundations of Global Health
● What key themes are emerging from the research?
● Are there any findings that are particularly important, interesting, or
contradict conventional wisdom?
● Any cross-country findings?
From research findings to policy recommendations
● What are the lessons and policy implications of the findings?
● Detail shortcomings of the current approach or options being implemented
and therefore, illustrate both the need for change and focus on where change
needs to occur.
● What audience are they most relevant for (international/ national/ district/
local level policy makers/global health initiatives/program
managers/non-governmental organizations)?
Identifying the policy recommendations and the target audience
● What is the reach of your target audience – what can they change, or influence,
what are
their interests? Assume that the target audience has asked for your analysis
of the issue as well as your policy recommendations to address it.
● What would you recommend (for agenda setting, policy formulation,
implementation, or
evaluation), and what do they need to change or do differently (only
recommendations that are appropriate for this audience, and that they
can feasibly implement)?
● Is there any other research that supports these recommendations?
When writing a policy brief, it is important to target the messages to a group of
stakeholders specifically, or even individual stakeholders (if applicable). At the
beginning and throughout the process of writing the policy brief ensure that:
● The content of the message is relevant to the target audience
● The language and style are suitable for their level of understanding
● The design (layout, choice of photos, letter types used, amount of text) is
appropriate
Some general rules:
● Identify background information that is relevant. Explain why policymakers
should be
concerned about the issue being presented. BUT keep it short and concise. Few
6
Foundations of Global Health
policymakers have time to read a long report from cover to cover. To be
effective, the brief should pass the ‘breakfast test’, whereby the reader can
identify the main points in the time that it takes to eat a quick breakfast. The
policy brief should also be self-contained so that the reader does not have to
refer to other documents.
● Only include findings and recommendations that have direct relevance for the
target audience, present messages in clear and jargon-free language, and be
transparent about the source of the evidence behind policy recommendations.
Effective policy briefs should develop a persuasive line of argument that
maintains the scientific credibility of the information (by using quality evidence
and providing a short, annotated list of sources and publications) while
highlighting its relevance and urgency for policy issues, as it applies to agenda
setting, policy formulation, implementation, or evaluation. This can be achieved
by distilling the complexity of research findings into digestible and clear
messages while taking into consideration other competing influences over
policy-making processes, such as donor priorities, historical-political
sensitivities, and cultural values.
● Use a clear structure to guide the reader. Start with an overview that tells the
reader why the subject is relevant and timely and outlines the main issues that
will be discussed in the order they appear.
Key ingredients of Effective Policy Briefs:
Tips for writing clearly
● Use short sentences and short paragraphs: make a key idea or argument explicit
within the first sentence of the paragraph with other sentences being used to
develop and amplify the idea. Construct, order, and connect paragraphs to guide
readers from one topic to the next, along a logical train of thought.
● Write concisely: use no unnecessary words or sentences
● Avoid using jargon and technical terms: if this is not possible then define terms
clearly in the main text or at least in a box that can be easily spotted.
● Spell out acronyms when they are first used – i.e., London International Development
● Centre (LIDC) – and then use the acronym in subsequent references. It is not
necessary to spell out the acronyms of very familiar words -i.e., US, UN, etc.
● Use figures and graphs: in place of or at least to illustrate words, but make sure they
are clearly and consistently labeled, not too complex, and easily interpretable
● Use clear, descriptive titles: for headings and sub-headings that lead the reader
through the document
● Avoid using general terms like ‘large’ and ‘most of’ without qualification
7
Foundations of Global Health
● Use the language of the stakeholder you are targeting, international languages or
local languages; try to also use concepts, expressions, and terminology that is
familiar to the stakeholder
Editing Guidance
After you have drafted the policy brief, consider the following
questions: ● Is the purpose of the briefing note clear?
● Is the language simple, clear, and jargon-free?
● Is everything there that needs to be there?
● Is there anything there that isn’t essential to the purpose?
● Is the policy brief easy to read, understand, and remember?
● Do the sections lead logically from one to another?
● Is the policy brief designed so that it is inviting to the reader?
● Is there a good balance between white spaces and text?
● Has the briefing note been carefully edited and proofread?
Language and expression
● Demonstrate clear organization and logical development of ideas
• Language is clear and concise
● The presentation of ideas is free of grammatical, spelling, punctuation, and
typographical errors, colloquialisms, and slang
● Uses credible sources and provides all necessary citations
Further reading and additional resources on Policy Briefs & Writing
Clearly
1. Jones, N., Walsh, C. (2008) Policy briefs as a communication tool for
development research Background Note, Overseas Development
Institute: London. Available at:
http://www.odi.org.uk/publications/background-notes/2008/policy
briefscommunication-tool-development-research.pdf
2. World Health Organization, Evidence Informed Policy Network – SURE
Guides for Preparing and Using Evidence-Based Policy Briefs.
Available at:
http://global.evipnet.org/SURE-Guides/
3. Research to Action: How to write actionable policy recommendations.
8
Foundations of Global Health
Available at:
http://www.researchtoaction.org/2013/07/how-to-write-actionable
policyrecommendations/
4. Plain English Campaign Guides. Available at:
http://www.plainenglish.co.uk/freeguides.html
9
Purchase answer to see full
attachment
