Policy Brief
Policy Question & Preliminary Bibliography -- DUE Monday 2/5/07
at 11:15am
Hand in a goal-oriented policy question and a preliminary bibliography with at least 10 works related
to that topic. The works must include at least 5 books and at least 5 academic
journal articles. You are not
expected to have necessarily read any or all of them by that time. This is a pass/fail
assignment; failure results in a 5-point penalty on the policy brief grade.
Research Workshop -- Friday 3/2/07
We will discuss the nature of the policy brief format using an example posted
to the Course Documents section on Blackboard and briefer examples from the
Smith book. Please
feel free to print the sample brief so that you can refer to it during the discussion.
Policy Brief -- DUE Monday 4/23/07 at 11:15am -- 10pp. minimum
Your brief will analyze a particular
policy issue in a particular country. You may choose your own subject matter.
Below the next horizontal line, you will see more detailed instructions (discussed
in class) about the policy brief assignment.
**You also need to send an electronic copy of your brief to my digital
dropbox on
Blackboard.**
NAME the file after your last name.
SEND the electronic file to me AND submit a printed version to me by the due date.
Your policy brief
must address the following sort of research question: Which
policy would be most useful in solving a particular policy problem and why?
YOUR AUDIENCE: Address your brief to the head of the national government or to the head of a
political party or interest group in your country of choice. You are their employee. You can assume a
college-educated audience, but you cannot assume any detailed knowledge about the issue or
the context. At the same time, your supervisor is busy; you must provide concisely
a comprehensive, detailed account that will inform your boss as it argues for a certain
outcome (that is, for a preferable policy
alternative for your boss).
a] Bring in opposing views (& their supporting evidence) and deal with them
directly in the paper as a means of making your own argument stronger & more balanced.
b] Remember to handle your source materials carefully. Provide citations for
primary & secondary materials. Cite other authors (and the relevant page #) when
presenting their views. This not only gives them credit, it also allows you to take proper
credit for your insights.
c] You must cite a minimum of 10 sources. At least 5 sources
must be articles in academic journals or university press books. Periodicals that are NOT
peer-reviewed are NOT academic journals. Whether you
use footnotes or text-reference citations, you must provide a complete
bibliography of works cited at the end of the brief. Readings assigned for
this course must be cited if used in constructing the brief but they do not
count against the 10-citation minimum.
Here are some more detailed instructions regarding the brief.
Each brief should follow a similar
format:
I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (1-2pp., double-spaced, max. 3000 characters):
Summarize the content of the entire brief. Your boss is so busy that he or she may not have time to read
the brief itself. The summary must
be accurate, but should also get the reader’s attention.
[NOTE:
This must be on a separate page(s) between the title page and the beginning of the
brief itself. Also, although you
can number its pages if you want, it does NOT “count” towards the 10pp.
minimum.]
II. {Introduction} The Policy Issue
Begin with a quick summary of the policy issue/problem at stake,
its importance, and the primary policy goals & options.
III. {Background} The History of the Issue and Its Context
Provide some historical background for the question at hand.
-
III.A. The
Issue: What has happened on this issue historically? Focus your
discussion primarily on the past two decades.
-
III.B. Your Organization’s Goals: What are the goals for
your organization in this
policy area? Remember that these goals, along with the analysis of others’
goals in III.C., will guide your analysis of the available policy options in
Section IV.
-
III.C. The
Other Players: What are the contemporary positions of the other major
political party(ies), and the other major interest groups concerned about this issue? In
other words, what are their goals and what are their policy recommendations?
IV. {Main Body} The Major Options under Consideration
Discuss the available major
policy options (at least 3).
The discussion of each option should examine the strengths & weaknesses
of each option in terms of its ability to achieve the goals at stake. Your
analysis should be balanced but should also build
an argument that one option is most preferable.
-
You should pay
attention to not just the policy “nuts and bolts”, but also to the
political feasibility of the options they examine. If a particular option's political feasibility
is in question, this concern must be dealt with in the brief.
-
COMPARATIVE
PERSPECTIVE: During the discussion in this section, you must examine a
similar situation in at least one other country.
This examination should make clear the lessons to be drawn from the
other country(ies) and how & why they are relevant to the case
at hand.
V. {Conclusion} Recommendation
Close the brief with a recommendation for your supervisor that summarizes
your position. Follow that up with an analysis of how that option should be
pursued politically.
-
As a policy analyst, make it clear why the recommended policy meets his
or her goals (better than the alternatives).
-
Then, based on your political analysis,
recommend a political strategy to adopt your preferred option will be
adopted by government. How can your boss convince others to accept the policy as desirable?
What can that supervisor do politically to promote the decision that he or she
would like?
To see a sample policy brief using this format, go the Course Documents section
of this course's website on Blackboard.
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