Understanding the Role of Policy Makers

The plans and strategies that the government, universities, politicians, healthcare experts, and other professionals introduce are developed by policymakers. They are responsible for utilizing the research evidence to form or amend policies. The decisions concerning policies are based on the research and finding of a particular firm. The agencies are supposed to submit a briefing paper to persuade the policymakers.

Policy refers to a specific plan or a set of strategies that are embraced by professionals and renowned institutions to streamline the core activities. The government and other institutions are supposed to make decisions around these policies. The question is, “who exactly are policymakers and what is their job”? Let’s find out:

Policy Makers

The term ‘policymakers’ refers to all the professionals who are responsible for formulating certain policies for the government, firms, schools, educational institutions, healthcare companies, and other organizations. These people also include the government staff that is qualified for making decisions and formulating or amending policies.

Individuals and companies need the assistance of policymakers to formulate their firm’s policies as accurately as possible. They approach a professional and qualified policymaker, who possesses experience in this field and is trained for the job. From universities to lobbyists, almost every organization needs policymakers to set the right regulations for the employees, customers, investors, managers, and other business associates.

Every member of the firm has to comply with these rules formulated by policymakers. Let’s see how the policy-making process works.

Policy Making – How does it Work?

The policy-making process is supposed to be rational. There is a specific cycle followed to set the rules and regulations for an organization. The policy-making is an act of taking the research and findings into consideration to introduce certain amendments in the policy. They design new policies or change the existing ones.

Usually, the policies are amended according to research. The individuals or agencies can draft a useful policy briefing to persuade the policymakers to make the recommended modifications in the current policy of the firm. The necessary steps included in this policy-making cycle are:

· Designing a rationale

· Determining and setting the goals

· Appraisal of the objectives

· Monitoring the possible effects of the options

· Evaluation of the outcome

· Feedback

This is how the policy-making process works. Even though it is the most logistic cycle for this job, the government suggests the policymakers take less logistic and more opportunistic approach for formulating policies. As mentioned above, there are some specific stages a policymaker is supposed to follow while formulating rules for an organization. But, this is now how the policies are formed. Usually, no policy-making agency or professional executes the process in stages.

There are several factors (not included in the above-listed stages) that may affect the policy. For example, the public or the business associate’s opinions, the economic condition of the country, political changes, principles, and budget restrictions are some of the common factors that are to be taken into consideration before setting policy for the institution.

It is important to note that most of the government policies are immeasurable. They can neither be measured nor be attributed. Over the past few years, the government has been continually trying to promote the use of research evidence in policy-making.

Identifying Your Policy Makers

Policy-making is one of the complicated procedures that involve multiple groups and different associates. Considering the difficulty level, there is no denying that the task of working with a policymaker isn’t as simple as it seems. It is essential to plan your strategies and come up with effective tips that can bring a difference. As said before, policy-making is all about the researched evidence. You need to ensure that your research is strong enough to convince the policymakers to formulate the right and effective policies. Based on your research and accuracy of the policy recommendations, the policymakers may accept your suggestions and introduce the specified changes in your current policy.

Working with policymakers is not going to be complicated as long as you maintain a positive relationship with these professionals. Researchers and businesses need to identify the policymakers. They can be charities, government employees, civil servants, NGOs, business people, experts, international firms, international government agencies, and politicians. You must start forming a relationship with the policymakers before the project begins. This will help you persuade the professionals.

Policy Briefing

Also known as briefing paper and research briefing, policy briefing refers to a simple document that involves a summary of the research, project, findings, and policy suggestions based on the reports.

Although there are certain principles you need to take into consideration when developing the briefing paper, there is no strict rule or a specific format. It is best to check out some available policy briefing templates online to get an idea of how the papers are to be formatted. You could also have a look at the previous policy briefing papers of your institution or other organizations. Reach out to your marketing or communication departments to find the briefing paper templates. Every organization has such templates that can be used for drafting the research report. Make sure that the brief you draft will be highly considered. So, it is better to invest in its printing and graphic designing to have a better impression on your audience. There isn’t a specific word-count for a briefing paper, but anything between 1000 and 1500 is fine.

There is a sequence followed in drafting the policy briefing. For example, the brief should start with the key points and a brief introduction. Your research findings will be presented in the document following the policy recommendation that you find suitable according to the findings. Moreover, there are some conditions that you need to follow while drafting the briefing piece. For instance, a briefing paper must be written in simple English without jargon or technical terms. The policy recommendations must be specified in clear terms. They must sound logical and realistic.

http://www.leoisaac.com/policy/top248.htm

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0094582X16632027

https://www.publicengagement.ac.uk/do-engagement/understanding-audiences/policy-makers