Institute of Rural Management Anand Think Thank Initiative: Policy Engagement and Communication Programme 2 day workshop – IRMA Workshop on Policy Brief Writing and Media Strategies Date: 1-2 July 2014
Mr. Gagan Sethi, TTI Lead Facilitators: Ms. Aditi Kapoor, Director, Alternative Futures, & Mr. Rajiv Shah, Sr. Journalist
Participants IRMA faculty members and PEC team members,
IRMA faculty members and PEC team members attended a two-day workshop on Workshop on Policy Brief Writing and Media Strategies at IRMA on 1-2 July 2014. The workshop was facilitated by Mr. Gagan Sethi, TTI Lead Facilitators, Ms. Aditi Kapoor, Director, Alternative Futures, and Mr. Rajiv Shah, Sr. journalist. The major objective of this workshop was to understand the following: The importance of writing Policy Brief How to write Policy Brief To engage with a few experts who can offer perspectives and share experiences Plan the first step towards Policy Brief writing Strategic planning process for converting research papers into Policy Brief Key components of Policy brief and story for media Identifying target audiences/ stake holder for policy brief The 1st day of the workshop was conducted in three sessions. The first session was a general one on policy engagement and the importance of policy briefs and how to identify audiences to whom the policy brief is being targeted. It focused upon the difference between writing Policy Brief and media writing/story. Mr. Rajive Shah shared his experience on how the story/ topic is picked up by the journalist. He also spoke on how media reacts to particular situations. His experience enriched and expanded the participants’ viewpoints and approach towards research outreach. In the second session the participants were divided into centre-wise groups to convert identified research into policy briefs. The Centre for Social Entrepreneurship and Enterprises (CSEE) and Centre for Public Policy and Local Governance (CPPLG) were the first two centres to go ahead with converting their identified research work into policy briefs. CSEE identified two papers and CPPLG identified one paper as follows:
To be or not to be Women Entrepreneurs in a Developing Country?: A Comprehensive Assessment of Challenges by Prof. Vanita Yadav. (CSEE) Automation of modified marketing procedural system: A case study by Prof. M.V. Durga Prasad) (CSEE)
Skill Gaps and Employability: Higher Education in India by Prof. Jeemol Unni (CPPLG)
In the third session the centre for Rural-Urban Dynamics (CRUD) and Centre for Rural Infrastructure and Corporate Social Responsibility (CRI&CSR) worked on converting their identified research papers into policy briefs. CRUD and CRICSR identified one paper each for converting into policy brief is as follows:
Political Economy of Water Supply and Drainage Service Delivery in Slums of Kolkata: Implications for Municipal Management by Prof. Indranil De and Tirthankar Nag Rural Road Connectivity by Prof. Anand Venkatesh & Falguni Patel
The 2nd day of the workshop was conducted in two sessions. In the first session Centre for Sustainable Livelihood (CSL) started working on converting their two research paper; viz:
State of Water Resources in Gujarat by Prof. P.K. Singh, Mr. Rajput, and Mr. Abhishek Nair to convert into policy brief. Labour under Stress in Gujarat? By Prof. Atulan Guha
The experts touched upon a few important points about policy advocacy as the CSL were interested in knowing about it. With the help of Mr. Gagan Sethi and Ms. Aditi Kapoor the faculty members were able to prepare their first draft of policy brief based on their research papers. The second session was with the PEC team for it to understand how it can bring changes in the Media outreach of the institute’s research work. In this session the experts Ms. Aditi Kapoor, Mr. Gagan Sethi, and Mr. Rajiv Shah touched upon a few important areas of media outreach and options available for the news media for e.g: News pages, opinion pages, and letters to the editor, Feature pages, Photoops, Blogs, and Citizens’ Journalism. They also stressed that the Institute should have a planned strategy of media outreach as this is today’s demand To do: All the seven papers that had been identified and worked on for converting into Policy Briefs should be ready within 15 days to send to experts so that they can work on them, making them ready to be uploaded on the IRMA website