White papers in the Martin Institute and Program in International Studies are documents demonstrating the breadth of one’s analysis of an issue.
They are designed to show people how a proposed solution to a problem stacks up against other approaches.
They differ from position papers in that their main purpose is to justify a position rather than simply state it, and differ from a policy paper in terms of breadth.
A commonality with the other types of papers is an emphasis on succinctness.