Policy briefs play an important role in ensuring that research informs responses to today’s most pressing societal and policy challenges. By translating evidence-based research insights into practical recommendations, these documents guide decision makers to design policy, and create and monitor intervention programmes in areas such as public health, education and societal justice. Through a combination of writing workshops, retreats and multimedia tools like podcasts and vodcasts, the HSRC’s policy brief work helps to build a stronger connection between research and policy, making it easier for research to contribute meaningfully to public dialogue and decision making.
The HSRC has always been committed to influencing policy through robust evidence-engaged dialogue. Central to this mission has been the consistent production and dissemination of policy briefs. Serving as a vital link between research, policymaking and civil society, these documents are designed to be accessible and actionable, informing policymakers, enriching public discussions and encouraging better governance.
Since 2023, more than 40 policy briefs have been published by the HSRC, each carefully aligned with at least one of the government’s medium-term strategic framework (MTSF) goals. These briefs range from economic transformation and skills development to health, social wellbeing, governance and regional partnerships.
Aligning policy briefs to MTSF goals is essential to ensure that research-informed recommendations directly support the government’s national strategic priorities. The MTSF is considered as one of the blueprints for national development, guiding government action towards achieving its National Development Plan, which underpins the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). By aligning briefs with these goals, researchers and policymakers enhance the relevance, uptake and potential impact of their work, ensuring that policy briefs contribute meaningfully to the broader national development agenda, thus freeing research from the vacuum it has existed in for too long.
Participants at an HSRC policy brief writing workshop on gender mainstreaming, which took place from 31 January to 2 February 2024. The retreat aimed to co-develop policy briefs on mainstreaming gender in the policies of the Department of Women, Youth, and Persons with Disabilities. Photo: HSRC
Clarity, reach and relevance
Policy briefs serve as an important tool for decision makers. By focusing on a single issue, communicating research in clear, non-technical terms and presenting concrete recommendations, briefs help policymakers quickly grasp research insights and consider practical solutions. Research by scholars such as Dr Penelope Beynon and colleagues from the International Initiative for Impact Evaluation shows that well-crafted briefs are particularly effective at building accurate understanding among those unfamiliar with a topic, often sparking further interest in evidence-based policymaking.
To reach the widest audience, all policy briefs are published on the HSRC’s website and a dedicated YouTube playlist, featuring short videos on brief writing and implementation. This blended approach ensures that government officials, NGO leaders, researchers and students can access our guidance and examples at any time.
Importance of policy dialogues
A key component in ensuring that policy briefs have ample reach and uptake has been the HSRC’s facilitation of dedicated policy brief dialogues – strategic platforms that bring researchers and policymakers into the same space to co-interpret findings, explore solutions and build partnerships for implementation.
These engagements have yielded tangible results. For instance, following a public webinar hosted by the authors of the policy brief Design and Implementation Strategies for e-Participation in South Africa in June 2024, and a conference presentation at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in October 2024, which engaged municipal officials, the policy brief was incorporated into the draft public participation policy by at least one major metropolitan municipality. Moreover, the policy brief has catalysed ongoing peer-learning events and pilot collaborations between HSRC and municipal officials.
Policy brief dialogues have also proved to be incubators of cross-sector collaboration. This is illustrated through the engagement outcomes of the policy brief titled Evaluating Service Delivery Improvement Programme in South Africa (SDIP). The SDIP policy brief was rolled out through dialogues with various government departments. These sessions not only unpacked the brief’s findings but also led to co-developed strategies aimed at enhancing service delivery, further strengthening the relationship between research insights and actionable interventions. These policy dialogues also serve as an important mechanism for feedback function, highlighting the real-world constraints policymakers face and informing future HSRC research agendas. They exemplify the importance of effective policy influence through relational engagement, rather than a one-way transmission of knowledge.
Refilwe Mashigo (NRF), Keitumetse Sepeng (NRF), Dr Konosoang Sobane (HSRC) and Yoliswa Sikhosana (HSRC) during an HSRC-NRF policy brief pre-conference event at the AYGS Conference in March 2025. Photo: HSRC
Policy briefs as tools for influence
The influence of HSRC policy briefs extends beyond our national borders. Briefs emerging from the African Peace and Security Roundtable in October 2024, hosted by the African Union and the International Committee of the Red Cross in partnership with the Thabo Mbeki Foundation, spurred high-level engagements with the South African Embassy in Senegal and Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar. These dialogues culminated in a report on peace and security in Sudan and South Sudan to be delivered to the African Union.
Our policy briefs have directly shaped national and local policy processes. The brief titled National Policy Framework for Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality: Implications for Redesign, Monitoring, Evaluation and Auditing informed both the drafting of South Africa’s National Policy on Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality and the revised White Paper for Human Settlements – specifically its chapter on empowerment, transformation and gender mainstreaming. The Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disability has since used this brief to guide public participation exercises with key stakeholders.
Similarly, the e-Participation and Policy Modelling Platform for South Africa (ePPMOSA) brief was adopted into a draft Public Participation Policy for a major metropolitan municipality. It also underpinned peer‑learning events for municipal officials and helped shape pilot projects designed and implemented in collaboration with local government. The Service Delivery Improvement Programme (SDIP) brief spurred workshops across multiple government departments and led to joint initiatives aimed at assessing progress, identifying gaps and developing practical solutions to improve service delivery.
Finally, the policy brief titled Strengthening and The Expansion of Policies for Filicide Prevention and Responses received extensive coverage in the Sunday Independent, where it was cited to contextualise child-protection concerns – most notably in the disappearance of six-year-old Joshlin Smith in the Western Cape – thereby influencing public discourse on family violence and safeguarding.
Policy brief workshops
To further strengthen policy brief writing and dissemination skills, several writing retreats have brought together researchers, including early-career scholars and senior directors, to immerse them in the essentials of policy brief structure, data visualisation and audio‑visual storytelling. These retreats enabled participants to draft multiple policy briefs and to pilot short vodcasts, laying the groundwork for the HSRC’s Policy Brief Podcast Series.
We have also organised collaborative workshops with the National Research Foundation (NRF) to sharpen researchers’ skills in translating scientific findings into clear, actionable recommendations. Through hands‑on exercises and peer‑review sessions, attendees learned to tailor their briefs to the specific needs of different decision‑making audiences.
In professional conference settings, our brief‑writing programme has been showcased by supporting NRF postdoctoral fellows as they presented policy briefs on higher education, health and wellbeing, and technology innovation. These presentations demonstrated how focused, evidence‑based messages can inform and influence policy debates.
Most recently, the Stigma 2.0 writing retreat brought together NGO and community‑organisation representatives to practise real‑time drafting, develop engaging data visuals and plan stakeholder engagement strategies. By the end of the retreat, every participant had a completed draft brief and a clear roadmap for sharing their recommendations with key audiences.
The HSRC’s growing ecosystem of policy brief development, dissemination and engagement demonstrates the power of research when it is intentionally aligned with national priorities, co-produced with relevant stakeholders and communicated in accessible formats. From informing national frameworks and local municipal policies to shaping regional dialogues and public discourse, policy briefs have proven to be more than static documents. They are dynamic tools for influence and change. By combining writing support, multimedia storytelling and collaborative dialogue platforms, the HSRC continues to narrow the divide between research and policy. This work affirms our commitment to ensuring that knowledge serves society, not just through publication but also through impact.
Research contact and acknowledgements:
This article was written by Yoliswa Sikhosana and Nonkululeko Dlamini, research assistants in the HSRC’s Research Impact Division. For more information about HSRC policy briefs, please contact Dr Konosoang Sobane, a chief research specialist in this division, on ksobane@hsrc.ac.za and hsrcpolicybriefs@hsrc.ac.za.
Contributors to the policy briefs mentioned in this article include Dr Simangele Dlamini, Dr Paul Plantinga, Dr Yul Derek Davids, Dr Odilile Aydele, Diana Sanchez, Nonkululeko Dlamini, Dr Mmakotsedi Magampa, Dr Yamkela Majikijela, Fhulufhelo Tshililo, Dr Wilfred Lunga, Dr Edmore Marinda, Dr Qaqambile Mathentamo, Associate Professor Chijioke Nwosu, Dr Charles Hongoro, Dr Catherine Ndinda, Dr Khumo Mngomezulu, Prof. Pauline Wambui Adebayo, Dr Sikhulumile Sinyolo, Dr Gadija Khan, Noncedo Maphosho, Dimpho Makitla, Dr Neo Mohlabane, and Dr Mokhantšo Makoae.
