policy-brief-writing

Policy Brief Writing

Produces structured policy briefs: evidence-based documents that present a problem, analyze options, and recommend action to a specific decision-maker audience.

Structure

A Takshashila-style policy brief follows this structure:

1. Executive Summary (100–150 words)

• State the problem in one sentence.
• State the recommendation in one sentence.
• Give 2–3 key evidence points.
• Audience: a decision-maker who may read only this section.

2. Problem Statement

• What is the specific problem?
• Who is affected, and how?
• Why does it matter now (urgency/timeliness)?
• Cite evidence: data, reports, case studies.
• Keep to 200–300 words.

3. Background / Context

• Regulatory, institutional, or historical context needed to understand the problem.
• Existing policies or interventions — and why they are insufficient.
• 200–400 words.

3b. Causal Chain (compact)

A brief causal analysis box (not a full diagram — use causal-loop-analysis skill if depth is needed):

Causal logic: [X → Y → Z — the theory of change in one sentence] Key loop: [Name one dominant reinforcing or balancing loop, e.g. R1 "debt-trap spiral"] Weakest link: [The step most likely to fail, and why]

This box should appear immediately before the policy options so decision-makers can see the causal assumptions the options rest on.

4. Policy Options

Present 2–4 options (not just "do nothing vs. ideal solution"). For each:

• Description (what would actually change)
• Pros and cons
• Feasibility (political, administrative, fiscal)
• Use a comparison table when 3+ options.

5. Recommendation

• State the recommended option clearly.
• Explain why it is preferred over alternatives.
• Specify the decision-maker this recommendation is addressed to.
• Include 2–3 concrete implementation steps.

6. References

• All claims linked to verifiable sources.
• Prefer: government reports, peer-reviewed research, credible think tank publications.

Process

1. Ask the user: what is the specific policy problem, and who is the intended audience (ministry, committee, regulator, etc.)?
2. Pull relevant sources from Zotero or via web search if sources not yet available.
3. Draft executive summary first — share with user before drafting full brief.
4. Draft full brief section by section.
5. Apply writing-anti-ai pass before finalizing.
6. Offer to export to Google Docs.

Quality Checklist

• Executive summary can stand alone
• Problem is specific (not "improve policy")
• Evidence cited for every major claim
• At least 2 genuine policy options presented
• Recommendation names a decision-maker
• No AI writing tells
• Indian policy terminology used correctly

Length Norms

• Short brief: 800–1200 words
• Standard brief: 1500–2500 words
• Extended brief: up to 4000 words (rare; for complex multi-stakeholder topics)