Good policy analysis needs two skills at once: a sound grasp of the institutions that make and enforce rules, and the economic reasoning that tests whether those rules deliver what they promise. Analysts who know only the theory often propose reforms that cannot be enacted or enforced, while those who know only the legal process struggle to show that a measure is worth its cost.

Participants begin with the architecture of public policy, covering legislation, delegated regulation, regulatory agencies, competition and sector oversight, and the role of international commitments. They then apply core economic tools to concrete questions: why a market fails, which instrument fits the failure, how to estimate costs and benefits over time, and how to treat risk, discounting and distributional impacts. Later sessions look at implementation, compliance, enforcement and ex-post evaluation, and at how to communicate findings in a policy brief.

The programme is applied throughout. Participants work in small teams on real-style reform scenarios, build simple spreadsheet appraisals and present recommendations for critique. At the end each person has a structured appraisal template and a draft brief on a policy issue from their own work.

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Describe how legislation, regulation and agency mandates form the policy framework for a sector.
• Diagnose market failures and match them to suitable policy instruments.
• Conduct a regulatory impact assessment using sound economic reasoning.
• Build a simple cost-benefit or cost-effectiveness model in a spreadsheet.
• Analyse the distributional and equity effects of a policy on different groups.
• Map stakeholders and anticipate compliance and enforcement challenges.
• Write a concise, evidence-based policy brief with clear recommendations.

The course suits professionals who advise on, design or review public policy and regulation, including:

• Policy analysts and economists in ministries and treasuries
• Regulatory officers in sector regulators and competition authorities
• Planning and budget officers in national and county governments
• Parliamentary committee staff and legislative researchers
• Researchers at think tanks and universities
• Programme and policy officers at development agencies and NGOs
• Trade and investment promotion officials
• Legal and compliance advisers working on regulatory reform

Participants leave with:

• A reusable regulatory impact assessment template.
• A spreadsheet model for cost-benefit appraisal that they can adapt to their own cases.
• A decision guide linking market failures to policy instruments.
• A stakeholder and enforcement checklist for testing whether a reform is workable.
• A draft policy brief on an issue relevant to their organisation.
• Greater confidence in presenting economic evidence to non-economist decision-makers.

The course balances institutional knowledge with hands-on quantitative work. Delivery includes:

• Facilitator-led presentations that link legal frameworks to economic logic
• Sector case files from energy, telecoms, agriculture and health financing
• Spreadsheet laboratories for cost-benefit and sensitivity analysis
• Team simulations in which groups defend competing reform options
• Peer critique of draft policy briefs

A CPD-accredited Certificate of Completion from Vision Reach Global Consultancy is issued to participants who attend the sessions and complete the appraisal and policy brief exercises.