How to develop a policy brief
How are themes selected?
As ‘Programme Associates’ we would like to encourage you to lead or join special regional online 'interest working groups' to address issues, develop agendas and deal with problems common to the cultural and creative sectors of the region. For example, one group might light to tackle 'advocacy', another might be look at VAT issues related to the audiovisual sector, another at syllabus reform in specialised culture-related higher education and so on. When we launched the Programme we held an agenda setting session in your country where we asked specialists from the sector to identify the main challenges facing the sector.
When we held the Cultural leaders workshop we further refined those topics that are most relevant to Associates.
So based on these themes, we would like you to collectively write a short paper by the end of the year on this theme.
It could be the same topic that you discussed at the Cultural Leadership Workshop, or it could be something new. That’s up to you.
Next Steps
1. Select a Moderator
Each group should select a moderator, who can be a contact point for any discussions, oversee progress of the paper and present any findings. This can be done by email.
2. Select a single topic
What we want to do as a next step is for each group to try to identify a research topic.
How?
- You can email each other and agree a topic, and then develop different sections of the form separately, share the document and agree the final text.
- You can hold a Skype conference and discuss the topic.
- You can meet.
The Programme’s ALO will be checking your progress and encouraging you to organize this first session, if you need help.
If you wish to move to a different group, also please let the ALO know.
At your first meeting find ONE issue that could make a change in unblocking a particular problem linked to your Working Group’s theme.
The topic needs to be clear and concise. It must be possible to defend through evidence NOT opinion. So make sure you can identify what the evidence will be.
The topic needs to post a question, and have a targetted audience, who can effect change. Describe who those people are/ person is.
What’s the problem, what’s the background, what is the solution, who needs to change, what would the outcome look like?
Once you have this make a reality check on the research idea. Is it realistic? Is it costed? Is it timebound? Will it make a strategic difference? What evidence will you need?
What’s the problem, what’s the background, what is the solution, who needs to change, what would the outcome look like?
Once you have defined this topic, fill in the form below and send it to your Country Coordinator.
The Culture and Creativity Programme will sign off the idea. We don’t want to decide the topic, but we do want to ensure all the questions above are answered, before working groups start. We also want to ensure the work is not overly-ambitious, and that you have all the things to complete the document in the timeframe that you have set yourselves.
We put no limit on the length of the document. The shorter the better. Ministers are used to one-page documents. But these documents have to be supported with evidence and back up research. We can help you in this process and below have provided each group with a structured outline of a policy brief.
This outline is a guide, you may have a different approach. That’s fine. The document can be as long as you wish.
Developing your idea
You can divide this work among yourselves, and each complete one section. Agree one lead writer who will be responsible for the delivery of the report. Or one of you may want to write this themself and get the rest of the group to peer review the final version. Other associates will join you in the next few weeks, so we can spread the work more widely. We encourage you to carry on talking by Skype – or we can arrange meetings if you wish to meet face to face.
We put no limit on the length of the document. The shorter the better. Ministers are used to one-page documents. But these documents have to be supported with evidence and back up research.
The Lead Writer can complete a project timetable for each policy brief using a project plan template.
This project timetable will clearly set out deadlines for each stage of the production process. These deadlines will be saved in the Programme’s shared calendar. The Assistant Liaison Officer will be able to monitor the shared diary for upcoming ‘crunch points’ so that they can plan ahead to ensure that they are available to offer support.
Peer Review
The more people who comment on the document, the stronger it will be. A well-reviewed document is more robust to external criticism, and is more rigorous in thought. Therefore it is good practice to send the final draft of the document to a wide range of people for comment. Not everyone will be able to review the document, so indicate a clear deadline for receiving comments back. For speed and clarity, ask reviewers to make the changes using track changes.
- The progress of briefs will be monitored against the project timetable by the Programme’s Assistant Liaison Officer.
- Each month, the Country Coordinator will share with the Kyiv office, the overall policy production timeline. This will be sent by the Country Coordinator in the monthly Country Coordinators’ Update.
- The project timetables will display how near the brief is to completion by indicating what has been completed and what is yet to be completed. It will also indicate whether a brief is perceived to be ‘on track’ to meet the agreed deadline.
Delivery and confirmation of completion
- Upon completion, the policy brief will be sent to the Programme Office in Kyiv with a covering note outlining any comments, questions.
- The brief will need to meet international publishing standards. The website editor will review the content, and may send back comments to the Working Group. The editor will discuss any editorial issues with the Programme team.
- Depending on the text’s original language, the document will be translated into other relevant languages. There may be other similar policy briefs being written in other countries, and translation may provide comparative studies.
- All policy briefs will have one of two objectives; to either foster change or to reach a particular audience. The success of a brief will therefore be measured on whether it achieves its intended objective.
- The Programme will record whether it has achieved its success measure or whether this is TBC, 6 weeks after completion and will link this to evidence of its success.
Therefore the Associates Liaison Officer (ALO) will contact Working Group members and ask them about progress during their monthly calls with you. If you have any problems or questions about this work they are there to help.
Once the working group has completed the sheet we have a number of options. We can post it on our website. Share it with other Facebook groups in the region. Or highlight it at some conferences that will be held by the Programme in early 2017. We may ask you to present the findings at that conference.
The Programme is also interested in Associates writing articles for our website. Well this theme could be the topic for one of the articles, if you like. The ALO will ask you if you would want to write anything.
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