Public Policy Writing That Matters 3/e

David Chrisinger is the director of the policy writing program at the University of Chicago's Harris School of Public Policy. He is the author of Stories Are What Save Us: A Survivor's Guide to Writing about Trauma and the co-author of Because Data Can't Speak for Itself: A Practical Guide to Telling Persuasive Policy Stories.

Contents Foreword by Dr. Deborah Stone, Author of Policy Paradox Introduction Step 1: Clarify Your Thinking before You Write 1. Generating an Effective Research Statement 2. Moving from a Research Statement to Strong Policy Research Questions Step 2: Identify the Four Elements of a Persuasive Policy Recommendation 3. Advocating for Reform with the Four Elements of a Persuasive Policy Recommendation 4. Making More Impactful Recommendations Using the Importance/Difficulty Matrix 5. Understanding the Landscape of Reform with Stakeholder Mapping 6. Writing to Meet the Unique Needs of Your Reader Step 3: Choose the Most Valuable Method to Deliver Your Message 7. Telling What You Know: Policy Memos, Briefs, and Reports 8. Framing Your Message More Effectively with the Moral Foundations Theory 9. Showing What's True: Policy Reform Narratives 10. Creating and Delivering Impactful Presentations Step 4: Revise Your Paragraphs and Sentences for Coherence, Clarity, and Concision 11. Improving Paragraph Coherence with Deductive Structure 12. Strengthening Sentence Cores to Improve Clarity 13. Pruning Needless Words for Clearer, More Effective Writing 14. More Strategies for Being Your Own Best Editor Step 5: Share Your Work with the World 15. Mastering the Art of the Pitch: Op-Eds and Longform Journalism 16. Leveraging Digital Communication Tools for Policy Advocacy Conclusion: Making Your Policy Writing Matter Acknowledgments Mastering the Craft: Essential Tips for Effective Writing about Public Policy Notes Suggestions for Further Reading Index