Policy Design and Sustainable Impact

Overview

🕮 Off the shelf (OTS)

The course builds policy professionals' ability to produce sustainable policy by building in considerations of suustainability, impact and evaluation at the outset.

Delivery will be tailored to departmental policy issues. The focus is on acheiving long term viability and public value,

The programme is trageted towards policy professionals with at least 18 months-2 years experience in a policy role.

The programme runs over 6 weeks, broken down into 2.5 hours per week, covering the below modules: -
Module 1: Foundations of Sustainability in Public Policy
This module introduces core sustainability concepts (e.g., triple bottom line, planetary boundaries, resilience) and explains how these inform public policy decision-making.
Participants will rehearse analysing a policy scenario to identify sustainability-related drivers, stakeholders, and potential trade-offs, using a structured framing approach.

Module 2: Policy Design Principles for Sustainable Outcomes
Participants will explore using a Theory of Change and logic model for a policy initiative that explicitly integrates sustainability objectives and indicators.
They will also be equipped to identify and select design levers (regulatory, incentives, procurement, public investment) to align policy goals with desired sustainable outcomes.
Module 3: Methods for Assessing Sustainable Impact
Participants will study the application of at least two sustainability appraisal methods (e.g., CBA with externalities, MCDA, or SROI) to compare policy options.
Participants will also incorporate equity, gender, and inclusion considerations into the impact assessment process and communicate implications clearly

Module 3: Methods for Assessing Sustainable Impact
Participants will study the application of at least two sustainability appraisal methods (e.g., CBA with externalities, MCDA, or SROI) to compare policy options.
Participants will also incorporate equity, gender, and inclusion considerations into the impact assessment process and communicate implications clearly.

Module 4: Sustainable Implementation Design
Participants will explore the importance of comprehensive implementation design, how to incorporate sustainability into governance arrangements, data needs, and KPI tracking and other monitoring approaches.
Participants will develop understanding of how to assess risks, build resilience into policy design, and propose adaptive mechanisms for changing conditions.

Module 5: Missions and Stakeholder Engagement
Participants will understand the importance of crafting an inspiring mission statement and compelling policy narrative, to communicate sustainability benefits to the essential broad-range of stakeholders and decision-makers.
Participants will practice developing a stakeholder engagement plan that identifies roles, power dynamics, participatory methods, and ethical considerations.

Module 6: Policy Evaluation, Learning, and Adaptation
Participants will learn how to design an evaluation framework that incorporates learning loops, and triggers for adaptation. They will also explore the challenges of scaling successful sustainable interventions.

Participants will discuss how evidence from evaluations informs governance improvements and policy refinement over time.