A policy brief is a commonly-used advocacy tool which outlines a policy issue, lists alternatives under consideration, and recommends the best course of action to remedy the problem. Policy briefs are intended to be concise summaries aimed at government policymakers or stakeholders who formulate and implement policy. The purpose of a policy brief is to convince your audience about the magnitude and urgency of a policy problem as well as the need to adopt a particular solution.

Components of the Policy Brief

A policy brief typically includes the following components:
Title
Executive Summary
Scope of Policy Problem
Critique of Policy Alternatives
Policy Recommendations
Reference Page

Title

At the beginning of your policy brief, please provide a short and memorable title to introduce your health topic. Remember, this is the first thing your audience will read so try to make it interesting and attention-grabbing. Try to limit the title to Ten or fewer words.

Executive Summary

Following the title, please include a short, 1-2 paragraph overview of your policy brief. The purpose of an executive summary is to quickly acquaint your audience with the context of your document and entice them to read further. Typically, your executive summary should contain a brief statement about your policy problem, high-level background information, reasoning for action, and your key recommendations. Your executive summary will provide your audience with a roadmap of what will be discussed in your document; therefore, the information presented should be written in the same order as you cover in your policy brief.

Scope of Policy Problem

In this section of your policy brief, you will define your health policy problem. Think back to Steps One and Two in Bardach's Eightfold Path. You'll want to make sure your problem definition explains the magnitude and importance of the issue. Remember to quantify if you're able so that the reader can gauge the impact of this particular issue. In addition to defining the problem, you'll also want to include some background information on your topic. Consider addressing the stakeholder groups involved, root cause(s) and extent of the problem, and policy implications. Think about similar policies that currently address the problem at hand. Consulting at least three to four reputable, policy-related sources in this section will help you fully address the scope of the problem.

Critique of Policy Alternatives

Next, you'll need to analyze your narrowed list of policy alternatives. This section should be the most in-depth part of your policy brief. Aim for approximately 1-1/2 in length in order to provide the reader with a comprehensive analysis. Before beginning this section, review Bardach's Steps Three and Four from the lesson and textbook. The goal is to present a full range of workable options and compare how likely each alternative would be in successfully addressing the issue. Don't limit yourself to the policy option you prefer or will recommend. Consider all options and remember that the alternatives you select to analyze should be both reasonable and viable. Compare implementation strategies including political feasibility, organizations, agencies, or levels of government that would be involved in the process, time it would take to get the options adopted, and source of financing and/or budgetary restrictions. Defend your arguments against contradictory evidence. Use evidence from your research to support your ideas. Again, consulting at least four to five reputable sources in this section will help to provide a well-fleshed out critique.

Policy Recommendations

To conclude, you will present the case for your preferred alternative, including a set of action steps to be taken to implement the policy. Consult Steps Five through Seven in the Eightfold Path to help you select a policy option. In this section of your policy brief, you should explain why the particular alternative is the best course of action as well as why policymakers should adopt it. Based on the information you included in the previous section, it should be clear to the reader why this option is preferred. Provide a list of 3-5 specific and feasible recommendations that must be implemented as part of the strategy. Your policy recommendations should be persuasive and sound.

Reference Page

At the conclusion of your policy brief, please include a reference page listing all of your sources. At minimum, five reputable, policy-related sources should be cited. You should follow APA format when writing out your citations. For more information on APA style.