Writing Public Policy: A Practical Guide to Communicating in the Policy-Making Process

by Catherine F. Smith

An accessible, hands-on approach to planning, creating, and assessing public policy documents--now updated with material on online communication

Now in a new edition, Writing Public Policy is a practical, concise guide to writing and communicating in public policy processes. Designed to help students understand and perform common types of communication used in solving public problems, this text explains the standards and functions of
communicating in the public sector and teaches the use of selected public policy communication genres. Catherine F. Smith presents a general method for planning, producing, and assessing communications in a variety of real-life contexts and situations of public policy work.

New to the second

* The text is updated to meet the needs of today's tech-savvy students, and now features a new appendix on adapting policy writing to the Web
* Examples show policy problems from a global perspective, and U.S. policy making by all levels of government
* A new appendix on clear writing
* A new companion website (www.oup.com/us/smith) offers additional guidance and writing samples

Hands-on and accessible, Writing Public Policy , Second Edition, teaches know-how and techniques needed to effectively communicate in the democratic process of making public policy. It is a particularly useful tool for any student preparing for a career in politics, government, public relations, law,
public policy, journalism, social work, public health, or in any role concerned with public affairs.

Genres: Nonfiction, Public Policy, Writing, Politics

224 pages, Paperback

First published February 17, 2005

Reviews

[Chey]

DNF at 14% for now because it doesn’t really seem as applicable to my work as I had hoped.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5 stars)

It's fine. Much more of a general communications book than a writing manual, which is what I (and it seems a number of other reviewers) came in wanting.

It's also written with a strong eye to the broader policy ecosystem of academics, lobbyists, non profit workers, think tankers and the like. Obviously they deserve love too, but if you're actually in government this book isn't written primarily for you.

Also, while a professional text being replete with real life examples is always welcome, the scenarios given really tell on the author's biases. You could walk away thinking the only policy topics worth talking about in the United states are environmental regulation and voting rights.

[Julie Ridings · Rating 3 out of 5]

Examples are helpful. The newest edition is informative on more current events and happenings.
The additional reading section is amusing since it is referenced so many times, and it feels like stuff could be covered more in the book, but I also recognize some of that is to keep the basics covered. Overall, effective.

[Jesse Morrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Assigned for my Public Policy Writing class. Wow, it's exactly what you want. Not only does it cover basics, it offers both writing and research tips.

If you are looking for a primer on writing public policy... this is it!

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was quick and to the point. Chapter 2 was especially helpful.

[Christine Krebs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful handbook and guide for students or young professionals in policy communication. The case studies and examples followed my chapter summaries are very helpful for educators as well.

[Sof]

Read for POST 2208

I have the 6th edition of this book and it’s really useful. It has step by step explanations of writing different kinds of public policy and also provides examples.

[Sadie Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

had to read for class. deeply boring but also kinda educational

[Michael Burnam-Fink · Rating 4 out of 5]

On reading this book, a lot of the advice strikes me as common sense in communication and getting your thoughts in order. On the other hand, having read policy documents before, most of us are manifestly terrible writers. Smith's advice is general, on thinking about an issue in a way that you can honestly present an accurate and evidenced backed policy proposal to people who will need to support or enact it. It's somewhat dry and short on detail, but the general method checklist in chapter 2 covers everything that a successful policy document must have, while the rest of the book covers different forms of policy communication, from position papers to legislative histories to public testimony.

As a short book, it's a solid read and reference for anyone working in public policy.

[Leif Kurth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Along with a degree in public policy/public affairs, and some practical experience (on-the-job-training), Writing Public Policy is a great guide for anyone who is beginning a career in the broader realm of public works. Smith lays out the basics and underscores the most salient factors in writing, researching, interviewing, and preparing yourself and others for the political arena that all policy must pass through.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book matches its title: Practical, policy process focused, and helpful as a reference guide. The examples are sometimes tedious, but they cover a wide range if topics and manage to stay relevant throughout. You should only pick up this book of the title strikes you as relevant to your interests / career because you're getting exactly what you think you are, nothing more or less.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like pizza

[Nawasandi · Rating 3 out of 5]

The vagueness of the scopes and boundaries of Public Administration makes the study less interesting for scholars. Unlike in natural sciences or engineering, Public Administration studies do not have laboratories and unique methodologies. This fuzziness dissociates public administration from people so that they become reluctant to involve themselves in public affairs discussion. Yet at the same time, they dream of improvements in healthcare services, education, safety, and the environment. People should be aware of the fact that to make their dreams come true, political involvement is unavoidable.

In her book, Catherine addresses the abovementioned problem by pointing out the importance of civic engagement. If people crave improvements, they must inevitably engage themselves in the public policy process by effectively communicating their opinion to the policy makers and community. According to the author, an effective communication is nothing but clear, polite, and evidence-based papers. This paradigm is often taught in the academic world, especially in the Public Policy or Public Administration program in universities in the United States. Therefore, Writing Public Policy in many cases becomes a recommended guidance for graduate students majoring in public policy. Yet students often misunderstand the contents. This book is not a guide to a public policy thesis writing. It is more like a practical guide for communicating ideas or criticisms regarding the past, the current, or the future policies that affect the society.

The practicality of this book signals the author's awareness of the impediments that prevent people from communicating ideas and criticism effectively. Indeed, producing noticeable papers and choosing interesting issues are challenging. It is beyond question that as a policy observer we always expect our paper to have a broader audience, to be noticed by the government, and if possible, to be a "game" changer. The broader the audience and the more people involved in our discourses, the better we can influence policies. Technical problems in writing could impede all those expectations. The book, without a doubt, helps readers tackle all the issues. Thus, whether you are an activist, a government employee, a journalist, a student majoring in public affairs, or a citizen who has concerns about any political process and the administration of a nation, you are "policy actor." This book provides many practical guides to be an effective policy actor. The author, if I understand her correctly, expects a broad audience to her book. Therefore, she is focusing more on civic engagement rather than guiding public policy's graduate students to write their theses. Her vision is to make the audience dare to intellectually engage themselves in civic life.

The first chapter of the book underlines the universal process of public policy-making by the authority in charge. The chapter briefly discusses politics, cultural values, and pluralism. The next chapter introducing the concept and strategy of "communicating" ideas accurately and effectively to any communicant; i.e. professors, government agencies, legislative bodies, or even Presidents of sovereign countries. Basically, the first two chapters prepare readers to be aware of the real-world situation and cultural context where some complexities occur. Chapter 1 and 2 also introduce strategies and standards of communicating ideas before your writings are finally published. Chapter 3 tells readers that defining problems is fundamental, and in doing so, one should possess "rhetorical awareness." Surprisingly, Chapter 4 seems to deconstruct the messages conveyed by the previous chapter. This chapter informs readers that defining the problem does not spontaneously solve the problem. Critical thinking does solve the problem. Critical thinking enables policy actors to analyze discourse and alternative actions. Moving on to the next section, Chapters 5 through 10 provide specific instructions in building policy papers that meet both the cultural context and the policy communication standards. They cover some specific issues like government program evaluation, legislative records research, witness testimony, and public comment on some government policies.

In each chapter, the author gives illustration and scenarios regarding public policy making in areas like healthcare, national defense, public education, taxation, agriculture, technology, and the environment. Subsequently, the author provides readers with many samples written by professionals, students, or concerned citizen to show how they dealt with real issues. Each writing sample is followed by commentary section called "What This Example Shows," a section that provides realistic views as well as reflective outlooks on how effective policy communication took place.

All writing samples are genuine and real. Some of them were written by professionals who work for well-known think-tanks, for government agencies, and for legislators in the United States. Not only that, the writing samples guide readers to avoid common mistakes in writing policy papers such as writing long-winded sentences, using unnecessary jargon, and promoting opinion which is not supported by accountable and evidence-based arguments. All the well-picked samples help readers to master the skills of writing policy analysis and policy recommendations with concise, analytic, systematic, and the most important, polite language. Equally important, the samples boost self-confidence so that as policy actor, readers can boldly communicate their ideas to the policy makers in the society. However, we all know that every field has its own language or jargons. Unfortunately, not all jargon can be understood by common people or even the government. Graduate students or professors who enjoy using sophisticated jargon in their paper, sometimes do not realize that their jargon alienates them from general readers. Luckily, the writing samples in this book help readers—especially graduate students majoring Public Policy or Public Administration—avoid the tendency of using unnecessary jargon, so that people who read their papers can digest the message easily.

In any case, if readers expect clear-cut answers on how to produce well-written policy papers, they will be a little bit disappointed after reading this book. The author only discusses how to properly and effectively write judgments regarding public policy issues. Unfortunately, she does not discuss how to make a valid and scientific judgment. Readers will not find any quantitative or qualitative methodology on how to technically conduct policy analyses. It seems that the author lacks incentives to put all those missing parts in a book that she expected to be a handy practical book. Fair enough, since the first word of the book title is "Writing," not "Weighing" public policy. For that reason, a wise reader should understand the fact that this book intends to foster effective communication between policy actors and policy makers.

In brief, I found it would be more interesting to use this book side by side with a Primer for Policy Analysis or any book that provides comprehensive material about the principles of public policy analysis and the decision-making techniques and tools used by analysts and decision makers. As a complement to this book, readers can gain skills to make valid policy analyses. Indeed, this book is an excellent book on how to communicate public policy issues appropriately. However, appropriateness per se is insufficient, as the message that the policy actor is trying to communicate also needs to be valid.