A policy memoActions analyzes a public policy problem and makes recommendations about how to solve that problem. It is written with a particular audience in mind- this audience is often a policymaker
POLICY MEMO STYLE & FORMAT Your ideas will be no more meaningful to the reader of your memo than you are able to make them. Meaning is not just embellished by style; ra ther, the two must function together. Muddled writing reflects hazy thinking. Your prose should be simple, clear, and easy to read; you will confuse, not impress, your readers with sophisticat ed vocabulary. Your reader should be able to describe your conclusions and the general arguments you used to reach them after only one reading of your memo. Some tips on achieving an effective writing style: (1) Choose the simplest words available to express your ideas. When discussing technical information, avoid the use of jargon--or at least d efine your terms clearly. (2) Make your sentences “active”; avoid phrases suc h as “there are” or “it is.” (3) Use one paragraph to develop one idea or argume nt. Make that idea or argument explicit within the first one or two sentences of the paragr aph. (4) PROOFREAD CAREFULLY. Don’t distract your reader s from the content of your memo with poor spelling or grammar.
The format of the memo should be as follows : (1) Memos must be typed on 8.5” X 11” paper with ma rgins of one inch on all sides. (2) Paragraphs should be single-spaced and should b e separated by a double space.
(3) You may use any standard conventions for the la yout of your memo, including numbering, bullets, indentation, etc. Do address the memo to your audience at the top of the page. See the attached sample for a suggested layout. Length The length of your policy memo assignment will be 2 - 3 pages. Do not exceed the length limit! I am enforcing this rule for several reasons: (1) Your clients and/or colleagues are very busy pe ople. They rarely have time to review lengthy documents; these generally wind up unread in a fili ng cabinet or waste basket. You need to craft documents that are concise and of use to your clien ts or colleagues. (2) Confining yourself to a particular page limit e ncourages careful editing, establishing priorities, and paring your arguments down. In gen eral, these practices also improve the flow and impact of your writing. (3) Tightly written policy memos have a much better chance of influencing others toward a particular point of view. Getting help I strongly recommend that you exchange your memos w ith other students in the class for proofreading and editing before you submit them. Y ou can help one another with suggestions for clarity and content of your assignments. SAMPLE MEMO M E M O R A N D U M TO: Dr. Jane Doe, President Commission for Economic Sustainability FROM: David R. Ortiz, Analyst DATE: 7 October 1995 RE: Fuelwood management in Country Central Introduction The situation regarding fuelwood availability in Country Central is not yet at a crisis stage. Forests and arable land are readily available for u se by the people. Deforestation is minimal compared to our neighboring counties. Yet economic conditions force the majority of the fuelwood to be collected illegally. I propose thre e major reforms to alleviate the problem of illegal fuelwood collection. First, we should offe r individual communities small plots of forest for tenuring. Second, we should establish a network of regional fuelwood management offices to monitor the illegal trade of fuelwood, to encourage fuel efficiency, and to offer technical assistance for the sustainable use of tenured fores ts. Third, a system of forest plantations should be developed to ensure future fuelwood supplies. Current land tenure situation in County Central Residents will continue to collect fuelwood illegal ly until they are otherwise guaranteed a supply. Land tenure offers the beneficiaries a dire ct reimbursement for their efforts. A number of key points support a system of land tenure: (1) The rural population does not have a financia l means to purchase land at this time. Foreign ownership as well as ownership by the wealthy of Co unty Central could lead to limited access to forests for the poor. This maldistribution of fore st resources could have long term economic effects. (2) Land ownership means power. With recent gove rnment changes, we cannot afford to unleash this power to the people at this time. Act ual ownership of the land should remain in the hands of the government. (3) A system of tenure allows for better government regulation over changes in the forest resource base. Regulation of private forest lands with our limited work force would be impossible. In lieu of efficiency concerns, a system of communi ty tenured regions would better accommodate current circumstances. The state fores t should be divided into regions, each village or community having an assigned region. The concept of a community region is more realistic than individual tenure due to the unmanag eable number of technicalities which would be encountered. Ecological impacts are location speci fic. These regions should be monitored by regional fuelwood management offices. Regional fuelwood management offices Management of the harvests of fuelwood will require local regulation. Your proposal should include the establishment of regional fuelwood mana gement offices to facilitate the transition from an illegal market to legal and organized coope ration. The regional offices will have the following roles: (1) Report and regulate the flow of illegal fuelw ood to the central government office so that regulations can be modified for improved efficiency ; (2) Instruct villagers on maximizing use of fuelw ood products by encouraging use of efficient stoves and kilns; (3) Instruct villagers on proper forest managemen t for long-term goals of sustainability. This instruction could also include the role of proper m anagement in erosion control and watershed protection. The regional fuelwood management offices should inc lude a number of representative groups. Involvement of the local community is a requirement for success. Local farmers and leaders know the region, its customs and its people. In ad dition, an administrator from our government should be available to act as a liaison and to prov ide a political update on the situation. Some technical expertise will be required. Future issues Our government must plan for the future energy need s of County Central. The World Bank has proposed a hydroelectric power plant which would su pply one quarter of current energy needs. This project should be carefully assessed. Special consideration should be given to ecological impacts of the building of the plant, dependence up on foreign technical expertise, and implications for the debt situation. I am skeptica l of its success because of the history of failures of these types of development efforts. Alternatively, our east coast has tremendous excess of arable land which can be developed for forest energy. Long-term planning should maximize use of this land by developing forest plantations. Coupled with these long-term plans fo r forest plantations should be a program for infrastructure changes which can assist in transpor ting the fuelwood to villages throughout the county. Implementation The creation of regional fuelwood management office s and the allocation of forest regions will require some time. Due to the lack of other availab le energy sources, it is recommended that residents be permitted to continue collecting fuelw ood as previously practices until the fuelwood management program is implemented. Implementation of these reforms can only take place with your assistance in quality legislation. Outlined above are three major reforms to improving fuelwood management in County Central:
development of a community land tenure program, est ablishment of regional fuelwood management offices, and development of forest plant ations along the east coast. These reforms offer the most viable solutions to fuelwood managem ent.