**Title:** Crafting Effective Policy Briefs: From Conceptualization to Implementation
**Attendance:**
– No students were mentioned as absent.
**Topics Covered:**
*Policy Brief Introduction and Fundamentals*
– Explanation and discussion of the policy brief assignment.
– Detailed discussion on what a policy brief is, including its purpose and structure.
– Importance of identifying and proving a problem exists in a policy brief.
– The role of a policy brief in influencing policy, aiding decision making, promoting transparency, and facilitating engagement.
– The need to translate academic research into accessible language for stakeholders.
*Policy Brief Writing Techniques*
– Importance of using quantitative evidence to prove a problem exists.
– The need for considering the audience and the writer’s perspective in policy writing.
– Differences between policy briefs and other forms of writing.
– Importance of audience and specificity in policy briefs.
– Discussion on tone and terminology in policy briefs.
– Explanation of the format of a policy brief.
*Policy Brief Topics and Case Studies*
– Discussion on women’s rights in Afghanistan, specifically focusing on the erosion of these rights.
– Importance of quantifying problems, using metrics such as rates of girls’ enrollment in school and women’s participation in the workforce.
– Discussion on the urgency of the problem and the need to convey this urgency effectively.
– Guidelines for creating a policy brief, including the need for the brief to be concise and focused on a specific country.
– Group brainstorming session for potential policy problems.
**Actionable Items:**
*Assignment Tasks*
– Teacher to post the due date and email students about it.
– Extensions for the assignment will be given on e-course.
– Teacher to provide a handout containing all the information discussed during the class.
– Teacher will email the policy brief worksheet to students.
*Policy Brief Writing Considerations*
– Students need to select a policy actor they will represent in their simulations.
– Students should consider their chosen actor’s goals, interests, and perspectives when framing their policy brief.
– Students should identify the recipient of their policy brief and tailor their approach accordingly.
– Students need to identify a specific problem for their policy brief.
– Students should consider their audience and adjust their tone and terminology accordingly.
– Students need to ensure their policy briefs are properly formatted, including end of text references and in-text citations.
– Students need to consider how to quantify their chosen policy problems and demonstrate their urgency.
**Homework:**
– Students need to work on their policy briefs, which are due in two weeks on the 9th.
– For the next class, students should come with an outline of their policy brief, including a specific problem and potential policy alternatives they’re considering.
– In the next class, the policy briefs will be further discussed and refined.