Overview
In this assignment, you will work on a policy recommendation relating to the Topical Analysis and the Public Health Issue that you chose. A policy recommendation is written policy advice prepared for some group or person that has the authority to make or to influence policy decisions. Bear in mind that policy recommendations serve to inform people who are faced with policy choices about research and evidence that can help to make the best decisions. It is about using research to solve a public policy problem or to provide evidence about how a policy is working.
Instructions
When writing your recommendations please bear in mind that getting them accepted by policymakers depends on many factors, but a recommendation, which is based on strong evidence, is cost-effective to implement and takes account of international best practices has a better chance of being accepted and influencing policy debates. Writing policy recommendations can be an invaluable asset for researchers and public health professionals, and a powerful way of communicating research findings to a non-academic audience.
Here are some guidelines for writing policy recommendations.
- Communicate your objective and decide who your target audience is
An important first step in a policy recommendation is defining your objective. For the purpose of this assignment and the course in general your objective is to provide recommendations that will guide current and future health policies in your country. Setting out a clear objective for a policy recommendation based on research is essential in helping to influence decisions. When writing your policy recommendations it is helpful to have a clear target audience in mind for who you are writing. So, when developing these recommendations keep in mind that you are writing for the Ministry of Health of your country. This means that many (not all) readers will not necessarily be health professionals. Academic and technical language should never appear in policy recommendations. They should be presented in clear, readable and simple language; easily understandable to any passing reader with no prior knowledge of the subject area. In general, the audience for policy recommendations will not be interested in methodology other than knowing that the findings are robust. The important thing is to prioritize information for policymakers and a link to the full report or research findings is sufficient.
- Communicate clearly and set priorities
The matter on which a policy decision is required should be defined clearly and linked to research without providing too much technical detail. For instance, if the population in your country displays a high burden of cardiovascular disease and smoking is a major risk factor for this cardiovascular disease burden, communicate this clearly. Highlight the populations that are most affected, e.g. elderly over the age of 65 in rural areas. You do not need to provide details on how this data is measured or how the attributable burden is determined.
- Recognize the economic and institutional context
In most cases, government and local authority budgets are highly constrained in the amounts that can be spent. Thus, while research may identify suitable policy directions, which could solve issues, if these policy directions incur significant costs, they are unlikely to be taken on board. Recommendations should be cost-neutral where possible, or demonstrate that they are economically feasible, i.e. while money needs to be spent now, it will save large amounts of public expenditure in the future. A policy recommendation that would bring benefits while reducing costs is likely to be very welcome.
- Set priorities, identify co-benefits and give options where possible
There is a multitude of possible health problems to work on and a variety of courses of actions that can be taken. The goal of a policy recommendation is not to give a detailed account of all possibilities but to give recommendations of what is most relevant and what policies can have the biggest impact. Prioritization is an important aspect of policy recommendation. Within recent years, the concept of co-benefits has gained relevance. Co-benefits or synergies are added benefits that occur from an intervention targeted at one specific problem. For instance, urban vegetation that mitigates the urban health island and filters air could also lead to increased physical activity thus counteracting obesity in addition to having mental health benefits. Identifying and communicating these added benefits could be a strong selling point and increase the likelihood of actions being taken. If there are several different approaches to solve the issue, noting the advantages and disadvantages of each approach, based on research evidence, will make the decision easier. This will help in making research more influential and relevant to policymakers.
- Give examples and emphasize the importance of actions
When making a policy recommendation, it is a good idea to check if a similar approach has been taken (in another country), and to outline any successes or drawbacks using real world examples. If another government, local authority, agency, etc. has been particularly successful in handling a policy issue, a recommendation will be made much stronger by reference to international best practices. This is particularly true if the example used is from a similar country in terms of size, demographics and political system and the example is innovative, cost-effective and is a demonstrated success. Finally, policymakers are faced with a large number of issues which require attention and action. Therefore, policy recommendations need to convince them that the issue highlighted by research is important, and the recommended course of action will be beneficial to society in some respect if action is taken.
Requirements
- Give 4-6 policy recommendations
- Provide executive summary
- Follow the attached as a file which provides additional guidelines for structuring your recommendations
- Include at least 2 figures
- 25 points are possible
- Policy recommendations do not necessarily require references. However, for the purpose of this assignment please provide citations and sources.
- TurnItIn has been enabled for this assignment.
Grading Rubric:
- Provides 4-6 clearly defined policy recommendations (5 points)
- Clearly states the background and rationale for a specific recommendation (7 points)
- Specifies and outlines possible strategies for health policies, set priorities and communicated benefit of recommendations (5 points)
- Includes at least 2 figures supporting main points of recommendations with appropriate captions (3 points)
- Provides executive summary (5 points)
