Sound economic reasoning is one of the strongest defences against policies that look attractive but impose hidden costs, miss their target groups or fail in delivery. Yet many analytical units are stretched between urgent requests, patchy data and decision-makers who need answers in days rather than months. What separates useful policy analysis from academic exercise is planning: knowing which question to answer, which method is proportionate and how findings will be used.

The Planning and Implementation of Applied Economics & Policy Analysis Training Course follows the policy cycle from end to end. Participants start by defining problems and objectives and building an analytical plan, then apply core economic tools to real policy questions, including market analysis, distributional effects, cost-benefit appraisal and regulatory impact assessment. The later days turn to implementation: translating analysis into policy options, costing them, anticipating delivery risks, setting indicators and communicating evidence to ministers, boards and the public.

Each topic is taught through worked policy cases drawn from fiscal, agricultural, energy, trade and social sectors. Participants complete spreadsheet exercises, critique existing analyses and, by the final day, produce a short policy brief supported by their own appraisal.

The course will enable you to:

• Frame a policy problem with clear objectives, counterfactuals and decision criteria.
• Plan an analytical work programme with proportionate methods, data and timelines.
• Apply demand, supply, elasticity and incidence analysis to policy questions.
• Conduct cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness appraisals with discounting and sensitivity tests.
• Carry out a regulatory impact assessment for a proposed rule or reform.
• Assess the distributional effects of policy options on households and firms.
• Design implementation plans, indicators and feedback loops for an approved policy.
• Communicate economic findings in briefs and presentations that decision-makers act on.

Participants typically include:

• Economists and policy analysts in ministries of finance, planning and trade
• Planning officers in line ministries and county or local governments
• Research staff in central banks and economic regulators
• Parliamentary budget office and committee researchers
• Think tank and university policy researchers
• Economic advisers in development partner and UN agencies
• Analysts in industry associations and chambers of commerce

At the close of the week you will hold:

• An analytical plan template covering questions, methods, data and timelines.
• A working cost-benefit spreadsheet with discounting and sensitivity tables.
• A regulatory impact assessment checklist adapted to your institution.
• A completed two-page policy brief based on a worked appraisal.
• An implementation and monitoring framework for a selected policy option.

The teaching approach is applied and case-based:

• Worked policy cases from fiscal, agricultural, energy, trade and social sectors
• Hands-on spreadsheet modelling and introductory Stata exercises
• Critique of published regulatory impact assessments and appraisals
• Group drafting and peer review of policy briefs
• Simulated briefing sessions with decision-makers

The CPD-accredited Certificate of Completion issued by Vision Reach Global Consultancy is presented to participants who attend all five days and submit the appraisal and policy brief prepared during the course.