Policy Brief paper on gender inequality in economic growth for a set of semi-unindustrialized export orientated economies in which women provides the bulk of labor in
the export sector. The primary hypothesis tested growth from 1975-95
PoComponents 1. Executive summary: The executive summary aims to convince the reader further that the brief is worth in-depth investigation. It is especially important
for an audience that is short of time to clearly see the relevance and importance of the brief in reading the summary. As such, a 1 to 2 paragraph executive summary
commonly includes: A desсrіption of the problem addressed; A statement on why the current approach/policy option needs to be changed; Your recommendations for action.
2. Context and importance of the problem: The purpose of this element of the brief is to convince the target audience that a current and urgent problem exists which
requires them to take action. The context and importance of the problem is both the introductory and first building block of the brief. As such, it usually includes
the following: A clear statement of the problem or issue in focus; A short overview of the root causes of the problem; A clear statement of the policy implications of
the problem that clearly establishes the current importance and policy relevance of the issue. Note: The length of the problem desсrіption may vary considerably from
brief to brief depending on the stage on the policy process in focus, e.g. there may be a need to have a much more extensive problem desсrіption for policy at the
evaluation stage than for one at the option choosing stage. 3. Critique of policy option(s): The aim of this element is to detail shortcomings of the current approach
or options being implemented and therefore, illustrate both the need for change and focus of where change needs to occur. In doing so, the critique of policy options
usually includes the following: A short overview of the policy option(s) in focus; An argument illustrating why and how the current or proposed approach is failing. It
is important for the sake of credibility to recognize all opinions in the debate of the issue. 4. Policy recommendations: The aim of the policy recommendations element
is to provide a detailed and convincing proposal including a breakdown of the specific practical steps or measures that need to be implemented and a closing paragraph
re-emphasizing the importance of action. Formal citations are required. Use ASA in-text citations and include a works cited page. Follow this link for citation
assistance: http://www.asanet.org/documents/teaching/pdfs/Quick_Tips_for_ASA_Style.pdf Characteristics of a Successful Policy Brief – Know your audience. Most common
audience is the specific decision-maker but audience can be a broader set of intelligent non-experts (e.g. journalists, administrators, researchers) – Stay focused.
The argument must build on what the target audience knows about the problem, provide insight about what the target audience does not know about the problem and use
language that reflects the values of the target audience (i.e. use ideas, evidence, and language that will convince the target audience) – Present evidence in a
professional (not academic) way. The audience for a policy brief is typically not interested in the research/analysis procedures conducted to produce the evidence, but
are very interested to know the writer’s perspective on the problem and potential solutions based on the new evidence. – Use evidence to support your arguments. You
need to support your arguments with evidence that shows the problem exists and shows the consequences of adopting particular alternatives. – Present limited set of
evidence that directly relates to the problem. The focus of the brief needs to be limited to a particular problem or area of a problem. – Present evidence in a
succinct way. It is common that policy briefs do not exceed 6 – 8 pages in length (i.e. usually not longer than 3,000 words). – Keep your language understandable and
accessible. Use clear and simple language. Make arguments that are easy to follow. Subdivide the text with clear desсrіptive titles. Additional Resources The Women’s
and Children’s Health Policy Center has some great sources on preparing a policy brief including a video tutorial and exercises to guide you in preparing your brief:
http://www.jhsph.edu/research/centers-and-institutes/womens-and-childrens-health-policy-center/de/policy_brief/index.html It may also be helpful to look at some
published policy briefs. This will give a better sense of the type of information and style of writing appropriate for this genre. I do not expect you to have
professional formatting to your policy brief. Also, remember although you may look to these briefs as models, you are required to submit original work. As stated in
the syllabus, any acts of dishonesty will result in a zero grade on this assignment. National Poverty Center, University of Michigan:
http://www.npc.umich.edu/publications/policy_briefs/ Center for Poverty Research, University of California, Davis: http://poverty.ucdavis.edu/policy-briefs licy Brief