Policy Analysis and Development

Course Overview

Policy is a decision about what government will and will not do. The document is the record of that decision — not the goal. This course treats policy as a practical craft: identifying real problems, weighing real trade-offs, consulting meaningfully, writing clearly, and building implementation plans that work. Theory serves practice here, not the other way round.

Target Audience

Policy analysts, programme managers, directors, research officers

Learning Objectives

On completion of this course, participants will be able to:

1. Describe the policy cycle and locate specific tasks within it
2. Apply root cause analysis to distinguish symptoms from problems in policy contexts
3. Select appropriate research methods for different policy questions
4. Conduct and document a stakeholder analysis including marginalised groups
5. Compare policy options using multi-criteria analysis
6. Write a policy brief that makes a clear recommendation with supporting evidence
7. Develop an implementation plan with responsibilities, timelines, and accountability mechanisms