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In your opinion, what are one or two key elements of strong policy writing? The ability to clearly distill (in one page or less) the question at hand and the current debate or consensus on the issue. Using concise bullets with bolded key passages allows a...

Memo reviewed by Daniel Estupiñan, HKS MPP, Amy Mahler, HKS MPA/MC, and Katie Wesdyk, HKS MPP The Buckeye Institute provided a memo recommending the removal of barriers to mental health services in Ohio. A case is made to recognize out-of-state...

By Blue Virginia.us From the Biden-Harris transition team: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 16, 2021 From: Ron Klain, Chief of Staff To: Incoming White House Senior Staff Re: Overview of First Ten Days Date: January 16, 2021 President-elect Biden is assuming...

The Washington Post Historians sue Trump administration to stop ‘bonfire of records inthe Rose Garden’ Screenshots are not “complete copies” of presidential records, they say Gillian Brockell Dec. 5, 2020 at 7:00 a.m. EST Two historian groups, an...

Memo reviewed by Oriol Solé Borràs, HSPH Masters candidate, 2021 David Cutler, a Harvard health economist and an advisor to President Obama’s 2008 campaign sent in May 2010 a memo to Larry Summers, the Treasury Secretary at that time, arguing that the...

Memo reviewed by César Monarrez, 2021 MBA/MPA candidate, MIT Sloan and HKS The National Parks Service (NPS) memo PM 11-03 regarding disposable water bottle policies is a mildly compelling document that, despite having some noteworthy elements, loses...

A common challenge for new drafters is shifting from an academic style to the more journalistic style and structure of effective policy writing. Most academic papers present arguments that lead to a final conclusion, much like a mystery novel with a...

Memo reviewed by Leah Foecke, HKS MPP Apr 30, 2020 This memo is an example of a cross-organization memo – not written within an existing organizational hierarchy – that provides advice and advocacy from two Brookings Institution fellows to the newly...

Policy writing is critical to many aspects of public policy decision making as it is the primary way junior staff and middle-managers interact with senior leaders and inform their decision making. The Policy writing style uses simple, precise language and...

Memo reviewed by Lauren Brodsky, HKS Lecturer in Public Policy Sitting slightly reclined, with a steady stream of cigarette smoke visible to the viewer, esteemed journalist Edward R. Murrow faces a television screen with a view of a Boston apartment. It...