….

will set out, for key decision makers in the issue area
of concern:
❖❖  a description of the ‘problem’
❖❖  a brief elaboration of the background and the stakes
involved
❖❖  a critical comparative evaluation of any available
policies
❖❖  a defended set of recommendations
🞂🞂  needsto be short and focused:
🞂🞂  needs to contain a clear policy message that

addresses the target audience

🞂🞂  needs to be clearly and visibly structured

🞂🞂 is not a piece of comprehensive academic

analysis, but a communication tool that is
problem- and solution-oriented
🞂🞂  Whois targeted (government, who in
government, NGOs, wider citizen groups, etc)?
🞂🞂  Why is the issue you want to raise important to
them?
🞂🞂  What do they already know?

🞂🞂  What key message do you want to convey?

🞂🞂  What information do you need to include to

ensure your message is convincing?
🞂🞂  trying to include too much supporting evidence, argument
and research findings (data, etc) that distract from the core
message
🞂🞂  trying to over-emphazise relevant complexities and
qualifications of the message
◦  Policy analysis papers often are accompanied by longer
background papers that can and should include such aspects of a
policy issue or concern.
🞂🞂  trying to avoid taking a clear position
🞂🞂  unclear presentation
🞂🞂  Targetaudience: You are an invited
researcher/policy specialist addressing a policy
advisor group in X ministry in the UK
🞂🞂  They will already know what UK company law says
on this issue, but will be looking for a better
understanding of other ways of enforcing MNE
accountability. They will also probably be familiar
with core ideas in the area.
🞂🞂  What are the policy alternatives?
◦  CSR
◦  universal ownership
◦  corporate limited liability
◦  social enterprises
◦  Any other policy approach?
🞂🞂  What
is the core message you want to
convey?
🞂🞂  What are the core reasons you think that your choice
of policy approach is the most relevant?
🞂🞂  What are the main implications, for a policy-

maker, of your policy proposal?

◦  These implications need to be spelled out under “ a defended
set of recommendations.”
🞂🞂  Say,
your policy choice is to tackle the problem of
corporate limited liability (CLL)
🞂🞂  In a policy analysis paper you then need to:
o  briefly set out why CLL poses a problem worth
addressing to achieve a higher degree of accountability
of MNEs:
-limits responsibility and thus encourages risk-taking
- constitutes an unclear privilege
🞂🞂  brieflyset out what the history of CLL is, who
benefited and who lost, and why CLL may have
become a principle to question
🞂🞂  explain briefly HOW you think CLL could be
tackled: This will be the core part of your policy
analysis paper: Are you suggesting that CLL should be
abolished outright or that it should be reformed? If the
latter, how exactly?
🞂🞂  brieflycompare tackling CLL with other policy
options, such as:

◦  promoting CSR
◦  promoting universal ownership
◦  promoting social enterprises
🞂🞂  setout clearly what the implications are, for your
target audience, of tackling CLL as opposed to other
recommendations:
◦  legal complications; prolonged debates?
◦  opposition from major MNEs
◦  potential ways for MNEs to circumvent the effect of limiting
the privilege of CLL (e.g. insurance premia)
◦  popular support if good communication strategy
🞂🞂  afinal paragraph on why you consider this particular
policy route to be superior to the alternatives, keeping
in mind your target audience.