Writing for the Government
Book in Perkins Library. Includes how to write persuasive policy memos.
Congress.org
Find communication tips and send letters to your representatives.
From Prof. Alma Blount, for the Hart Leadership Program:
...think of public policy as “…an agreement (formal or informal) on how an institution, governing body or community will address shared problems or attain shared goals.” Makani Themba, Making Policy, Making Change: How Communities Are Taking Law Into Their Own Hands.
A policy memo is not:
- Overview—beginning of the memo. (But you write it at the end of the process. It is the executive summary of what is most important in the entire memo.)
- Problem statement
- Criteria—measurable things that you will examine to see if the problem is resolved.
- Options/alternatives for addressing the problem, with a brief analysis of each option.
- Recommendation—what needs to happen in order to make progress on the problem you have identified?
From the North Carolina Conservation Network:
http://www.ncconservationnetwork.org/action/letters
Writing Studio:
http://twp.duke.edu/uploads/assets/letter_to_editor.pdf
*thanks to Prof. Jennifer Owen, who compiled this list for CCS 264S