White paper

A white paper is an authoritative report or guide that helps solve a problem. White papers are used to educate readers and help people make decisions, and may be a consultation as to the details of new legislation. The publishing of a white paper signifies a clear intention on the part of a government to pass new law. White Papers are a " ... tool of participatory democracy ... not [an] unalterable policy commitment.^[1] "White Papers have tried to perform the dual role of presenting firm government policies while at the same time inviting opinions upon them." ^[2]

In Canada, a white paper "is considered to be a policy document, approved by Cabinet, tabled in the House of Commons and made available to the general public."^[3] The "provision of policy information through the use of white and green papers can help to create an awareness of policy issues among parliamentarians and the public and to encourage an exchange of information and analysis. They can also serve as educational techniques".^[4]

"White Papers are used as a means of presenting government policy preferences prior to the introduction of legislation"; as such, the "publication of a White Paper serves to test the climate of public opinion regarding a controversial policy issue and enables the government to gauge its probable impact".^[5]

By contrast, green papers, which are issued much more frequently, are more open-ended. Also known as consultation documents, green papers may merely propose a strategy to be implemented in the details of other legislation or they may set out proposals on which the government wishes to obtain public views and opinion.

White papers published by the European Commission are documents containing proposals for European Union action in a specific area. They sometimes follow a green paper released to launch a public consultation process. White papers refer to audits to British officials (Viceroy) in India who were making personal fortunes and where involved in corruption, today white papers may also refer to audit papers on an administration leaving office.

Examples of governmental white papers include Russia No 1. A Collection of Reports on Bolshevism in Russia, April 1919, White Paper on Full Employment, the 1939 White Paper and the 1966 Defence White Paper.

In British Mandate of Palestine and Zionist history

During the three decades of the British Mandate of Palestine, the British government several times published White Papers defining its changing policy there. These were major landmarks in the history of the Mandate and of the intensifying struggle between Zionism and Palestinian nationalism, each trying to sway British policy in its own interest. The most well known of these was the 1939 White Paper which imposed sharp limitations on Jewish immigration to and settlement in Palestine, and to which Zionists were very sharply opposed. In Zionist and Israeli historical narrative it is known simply as "The White Paper" without qualifications (Hebrew: HaSefer HaLavan הספר הלבן, literally "The White Book"). The term is still in occasional use in the Israeli public discourse, usually by right-wing politicians accusing the Israeli and/or foreign governments of hostility to Israeli Settlements on the West Bank.

Commercial white papers

Since the early 1990s, the term white paper has come to refer to documents used as marketing or sales tools. Commercial white papers generally argue that the benefits of a particular technology, product or methodology are superior for solving a specific problem. They may also present research findings, list a set of questions or tips about a certain business issue, or highlight a particular product or service from a vendor.

Commercial white papers are marketing communications documents designed to promote the products or services from a specific company. As a marketing tool, these papers use selected facts and logical arguments to build a case favorable to the company sponsoring the document. Commercial white papers are often used to generate sales leads, establish thought leadership, make a business case, or educate customers, channel partners, or investors.

While some list dozens of different types, there are three main types of commercial white papers:

• Business benefits: Makes a business case for a certain technology or methodology.
• Technical: Describes how a certain technology works.
• Hybrid: Combines business benefits with technical details in a single document.

There are now far more commercial white papers being produced for vendors than political white papers being produced for governments.

Resources

• Stelzner, Michael (2006). Writing White Papers: How to capture readers and keep them engaged. Poway, California: WhitePaperSource Publishing. pp. 214. ISBN 9780977716937. 
• Bly, Robert W. (2006). The White Paper Marketing Handbook. Florence, Kentucky: South-Western Educational Publishing. pp. 256. ISBN 9780324300826. 
• Kantor, Jonathan (2009). Crafting White Paper 2.0: Designing Information for Today's Time and Attention Challenged Business Reader. Denver,Colorado: Lulu Publishing. pp. 167. ISBN 9780557163243. 

See also

• Green paper
• Persuasive writing
• Guidance document

References

• White paper EU glossary
• White papers directory Hundreds of handpicked, classified White Papers

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