This Policy Recommendations workshop is dedicated to strengthening participants' skills to design, draft, and communicate policy recommendations.
Writing policy recommendations is a skill that involves translating scientific data and scholarly text into readable commentary and guidance on policy formation and implementation. Policy recommendations should help policymakers and practitioners navigate through complex social and political landscape and help to shape policy narratives over the longer term.
This is not just a matter of summarising or condensing lengthy research papers. Writing valuable and enduring policy recommendations involves a proper grasp of the dilemmas facing public authorities and political representatives and careful reflection on the broader implications of research findings. It involves an appreciation of the conflicting demands and expectations facing policymakers and a willingness to challenge prevailing wisdom.
The workshop will combine hands-on examples with a reflective discussion on their purpose, content, and strategic use, exploring how they can meaningfully influence and inform decision-making processes. Together we will explore the key "dos and don'ts" of drafting clear, evidence-based, and actionable recommendations. By the end of the workshop, participants will gain a more comprehensive understanding of how to connect and translate research results into relevant policy guidance.
PROGRAM
09:30 - 09:50 Welcome and Introductions
09:50 - 10:10 Matúš Mišík, Associate Professor at the Department of Political Science, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia.
The transfer of knowledge: Why science needs to inform policymakers
10:10 - 10:30 Jon Halvard Eide, Agderfylkeskommune, Norway.
Drafting recommendations for policy makers at different levels of governance
10:30 - 10:50 Break
10:50 - 11:10 Rebecca Marconi, Project Manager ALDA - European Association for Local Democracy.
From Participation to Policy: Capacity-Building, Advocacy and Actionable Recommendations
11:10 - 12:00 John Erik Fossum, ARENA Centre for European Studies, University of Oslo, Norway.
How far do we get through learning by example? A hands-on exercise
12.00 - 13.00: Lunch
13:00 - 13:30 Reflection and Discussion:
- Why are policy recommendations important?
- How are policy recommendations di erent from academic texts and journalistic reports?
- How do policy makers use policy recommendations?
- What makes policy recommendations useful and legitimate?
13:30 - 14:00 Small groups – writing policy recommendations on selected cases.
14:00 - 14:20 Break
14:20 - 15:10 Reflection and Discussion:
- Multiple options or single solution?
- Step-by-step guidance or bullet points?
- Concrete examples or general picture?
15:10 - 15:30 Conclusions:
- What key tips can we take away from the workshop?
- Can we implement these tips in our projects?
- Which challenges remain?
Kontaktperson:
- amanda.machin@uia.no
- Phone
- +47 38 14 15 50
Organizer: RECODE MLG