policyengine-writing

PolicyEngine Writing Skill

Use this skill when writing blog posts, documentation, PR descriptions, research reports, or any public-facing PolicyEngine content.

When to Use This Skill

• Writing blog posts about policy analysis
• Creating PR descriptions
• Drafting documentation
• Writing research reports
• Composing social media posts
• Creating newsletters
• Writing README files

Core Principles

PolicyEngine's writing emphasizes clarity, precision, and objectivity.

1. Active voice - Prefer active constructions over passive
2. Direct and quantitative - Use specific numbers, avoid vague adjectives/adverbs
3. Sentence case - Use sentence case for headings, not title case
4. Neutral tone - Describe what policies do, not whether they're good or bad
5. Precise language - Choose exact verbs over vague modifiers

Active Voice

Active voice makes writing clearer and more direct.

✅ Correct (Active):

Harris proposes expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit
The reform reduces poverty by 3.2%
PolicyEngine projects higher costs than other organizations
We estimate the ten-year costs
The bill lowers the state's top income tax rate
Montana raises the EITC from 10% to 20%

❌ Wrong (Passive):

The Earned Income Tax Credit is proposed to be expanded by Harris
Poverty is reduced by 3.2% by the reform
Higher costs are projected by PolicyEngine
The ten-year costs are estimated
The state's top income tax rate is lowered by the bill
The EITC is raised from 10% to 20% by Montana

Quantitative and Precise

Replace vague modifiers with specific numbers and measurements.

✅ Correct (Quantitative):

Costs the state $245 million
Benefits 77% of Montana residents
Lowers the Supplemental Poverty Measure by 0.8%
Raises net income by $252 in 2026
The reform affects 14.3 million households
Hours worked falls by 0.27%, or 411,000 full-time equivalent jobs
The top decile receives an average benefit of $1,033
PolicyEngine projects costs 40% higher than the Tax Foundation