Policy Briefs – The Network for Strategic Analysis
What is a policy brief?
A policy brief is a summary of information that can help readers understand and make decisions about government policies. A policy brief therefore raises an issue of interest, suggests relevant political options or considerations, or even proposes recommendations on courses of action to be adopted by the Government of Canada.
The policy briefs of the Network for Strategic Analysis are aimed at a specific audience: the Government of Canada, and more specifically the Department of National Defence, the Department of Foreign Affairs, and the Canadian Armed Forces.
What can a policy brief be about?
It is a clear, concise, and coherent text about an issue or situation related to international security policy. Policy briefs are therefore used to mobilize your expertise in support of issues that are of concern to the Government of Canada. It is imperative to adapt the writing to this particular audience.
Any information in the brief should serve a purpose. The objective of the brief can be to:
- Provide information and analysis on current debates, trends and issues;
- Provide basic knowledge and context on an issue or topic;
- Highlight emerging or underestimated issues, threats or trends;
- Comment on or evaluate government policy and/or actions;
- Filter and/or prioritize the large volume of open source information;
- Present recommendations for policy development.
Policy briefs for the Network for Strategic Analysis should fit into one or more of the strategic challenges guiding the NSA:
- The evolving role of great powers in a shifting world order
- Multilateral cooperation in international security
- The future of defence capacity building for global partners
Format
- Use the NSA template
- Length: 4 to 5 pages maximum
- Hyperlinked references: no footnotes or author-date references, no bibliography or list of references
Structure
Policy Briefs are divided into three parts:
- Context
- What is the purpose of the policy brief? It is important to quickly state your conclusions or the gist of your argument in this section, as well as to justify the relevance of the question or issue raised by the policy brief.
- Development
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- The heart of the policy note, divided into sub-parts;
- Each sub-section must express an idea, an argument or a point of information that you want to raise;
- Get to the point. Remove anything that is not strictly necessary.
- Policy considerations and recommendations
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- What are the implications of the issue raised for Canada? Why should Canada pay attention to this? What connection can be made with respect to the situation in Canada, to its foreign and defense policy?
- Recommendations: recommend a decision, one or more actions
Writing Style
- Use short sentences. Avoid flaunting your knowledge. Get to the point.
- Avoid academic jargon. Use a more direct style, which can be understood by non-specialists.
- Make sure that the facts, ideas and arguments clearly match the conclusions and recommendations of the policy brief.