Promising Practice

Thematic Policy Briefs

Since 2018, the Finnish Ministry of Justice has been publishing biannual policy briefs on issues related to equality and non-discrimination based on recent data. These are concise documents with infographics and summaries of research results in the relevant area targeting policymakers, public bodies, experts, media, and indirectly, the general population.
Tír
Finland
Type
Institutional and structural guidelines
Facilitate effective use
Category
Age
Disability
Gender identity or expression
Racial or ethnic origin
Religion or belief
Sex
Sexual orientation
All grounds / Cross-cutting
Includes multiple / intersectional discrimination

 


In this page:


Why was the practice needed?

The thematic policy briefs aim to facilitate the use of available equality data and to enhance the potential of these data to feed into the policy cycle.

The underlying rationale is that various actors produce a considerable amount of equality data, but they are only known by experts. They often do not feed into the policy making process and public debate. By combining the results from different sources on a specific topic, presenting them in a user-friendly way and accompanying them with policy recommendations the potential for effective use of the data is enhanced. The policy briefs also serve to raise awareness on current equality issues and the need for policy responses.

How was it implemented?

The policy briefs are prepared by the Ministry of Justice, more specifically by the discrimination monitoring group. The topics are selected by the inter-institutional working group, based on current needs and the potential added value of the policy briefs.

Civil servants from the Ministry of Justice carry out the practical work. The editing and graphic design of the documents are subcontracted. Different stakeholders comment on the draft policy brief, depending on the topic. The policy briefs are produced in four versions: in Finnish, Swedish and English language and as an accessible version.

The policy briefs are disseminated through stakeholder networks. Paper copies of the documents are distributed in different events organised by the Ministry of Justice.

Outputs

  • The policy briefs published online - Each policy brief is a 8-12 pages long presentation of the topic including data, definitions, infographics and statistics The first policy brief, published in 2018, dealt with the issue of harassment.
  • In 2019, the Ministry of Justice will release a policy brief on multiple and intersectional discrimination.

Key success factors

  • Strategic and thorough planning to establish a topic that is relevant for many stakeholders.
  • A good communication plan, and effective and active dissemination are crucial to enhance the potential of the policy briefs to feed timely into the policy cycle.

Technical information

  • Data sources covered: Household or individual surveys; Victimisation surveys; Attitudinal surveys; Complaints data; Discrimination testing; Diversity monitoring; Qualitative research.
  • Areas of life covered: Others: diverse, depending on the topic.
  • Target audience: Policymakers, public bodies, civil society organisations, experts, and media
  • Duration: 2018 – present (biannual)
  • Geographical scope: National
  • Leading institution: Ministry of Justice
  • Other organisations involved/consulted: Inter-institutional working group on discrimination monitoring (see related practice in this compendium). Relevant institutions and civil society organisations, depending on the topics.
  • Financial & human resources: Budget: €15,000/policy brief (editing, graphic design, translations, printing); Source of the budget: State; Staff: 0.1 Full Time Equivalent (FTE)

Contacts

Ministry of Justice, Finland/ Oikeusministeriö

Email: Yhdenvertaisuus (dot) om (at) om (dot) fi