Order ID 53563633773 Type Essay Writer Level Masters Style APA Sources/References 4 Perfect Number of Pages To Order 5-10 Pages Description/Paper Instructions
Elements of a Policy Research Paper
Andy Hira
For Science Policy Class 150
Updated: Mar. 18, 2020
A Policy Brief vs. an Academic Research Paper
In this course, you will be practicing writing a policy brief, a common instrument to inform decision-making in the public sector, and a way of communicating that will be useful in all forms of professional life.
An academic research paper is oriented towards theoretical and longer-term problems of greater complexity, for the situations when the problem is not well-understood, and you are trying to develop and test a causal theory.
By contrast, a policy brief takes a well-recognized problem that needs to be addressed and scans for possible reactions. The assumption here is that the status quo is no longer acceptable. This could be the case for a variety of reasons, such as the problem has taken on a different form; there is no longer support for existing solutions; or the problem itself is novel and doesn’t lend itself to existing responses.
So, a policy brief attempts to tackle a problem that existing policies are not capable of grappling with. Therefore, the first key identifying a problem that needs additional research, but also one with appropriate scope, that you can answer in the time and information available.
In this course, we have identified a number of current science and technology issues that lack resolution, from the challenges of managing risks in nuclear energy to how to regulate genetic modification. Your task is to choose one of these issues and try to develop an argument on how best to respond to it. You need to do so focusing on a concrete case study. You can suggest a topic we have not covered, but please check with me before proceeding to get approval.
Steps for Writing the Policy Brief
- Choose your topic and form a clear research question around it. For example, you might choose the question, Why are females so under-represented in science and technology? You want to be careful not to choose a question that is too wide or narrow in scope, so that it’s not unanswerable or trivial. You want to make sure that your question is neutral, value-free, and can be answered in clear, concrete ways using evidence rather than subjective opinion.
- Your second step is to survey the academic literature and see how authors have understood the question. What are the different ways they have answered it? What causal theory and variables do they use? How do they answer the question and what types of logic and evidence do they use? What policy recommendations flow from their analysis? The authors’ approaches are broadly called
“paradigms.” You can prepare an annotated bibliography to help you organize your information including citations for this step. This will be discussed in tutorial 9.
- Your third step is to develop a logical framework for examining the question in hand. This can be done via an outline, as reviewed in tutorial in class 10. The outline sets up the logic of your inquiry. You might set up your paper to test out the validity of 1 paradigm, 1 vs. other(s), or test out your own view of the matter, in juxtaposition to existing paradigms. Your outline for the policy brief should follow the steps below.
- Your fourth step is to try to examine the case study you have chosen and start to analyse the evidence around it. For example, if you are looking at females in IT, you might create a database of tech companies in the Vancouver area and see how many have CEOs and/or members of their Board of Directors who are females. The evidence would allow you to test out some of the hypotheses deriving from the way you are examining the paradigms in step 3.
- Your last step is to write up your findings and add policy recommendations. This depends on having a complete and full picture of your analysis. If you write as you analyse, your writing will be disorganized. Make sure you work ahead of time to give yourself time for editing with a clear mind, and for peer review of your work.
Remember that you are writing an argument, no just exposing information. You have to use your title and every piece of your work has to be well-crafted and designed to optimize the reader’s time. This usually requires careful research and analysis, and multiple rounds of editing.
Clarity, concision, persuasion, and anticipating objections are the key points to consider. Make sure that the different parts of your essay fit together. Make sure you are neutral and objective in your approach. Let your analysis lead naturally to your recommendations.
Components of a Policy Brief in Sequence
(guideline lengths given for policy brief of 5-7 pp)
- Executive summary of analysis, including identifying the problem, how the problem was examined and the recommendations on how to solve it (1-3 paragraphs)
- Background/context/importance of the problem- what has brought this problem to our attention (the catalyst) (1-2 pages)
- Existing policy framework (Status Quo)- what policies currently exist and who are the key stakeholders; why it is unsustainable (1-2 pages)
- Policy Options- costs, benefits, risks of each alternative action or combination of actions; short-term and long-term perspectives. Embed data and graphs within your text to make your case (2-3 pages)
- Recommended course of action (steps needed), and expected/possible outcomes- must be supportable by a dominant coalition of the stakeholders (1 page)
- Bibliography and data tables
-includes references and data appendices
Specific Instructions for the POL 150 Brief
In this class, you will learn how to write a policy brief in a way that applies the theoretical and analytical tools we reviewed in the first half of the class to the specific case studies, including the ones we reviewed in the second half. But the number and type of cases is wide open to you, based on your interests. Here are some examples:
- So, for example, you could examine whether the linear scientific or Kuhn’s model holds up for a specific new product, such as a cell phone.
- You could look at gender, sex, racial, and ethnic representation in STEM subjects, and the implications thereof for who sets scientific agendas and who gets funding.
- You could look at risk analysis for GMOs comparing in greater depth the North American vs. the EU perspective.
- Is music sampling an infringement of copyright? Find a recent case and test it out.
- What are the potential roles of the public in a technical subject such as nuclear energy? What could be done to improve the way these things play out in Canada now?
- Look at another case of major Canadian state funding, such as Genome Canada, the digital supercluster, or Bombardier and do a cost-benefit analysis. Did state intervention make sense?
- Examine provincial or country differences in regard to climate change policies. What explains the differences in approaches?
- Does automation really pose a threat to jobs? Look at automation attempts in one sector, such as trucking or mining, and assess the net impact on jobs, including new jobs that might be created.
- Does a universal basic income make sense if automation eliminates large numbers of jobs? Look at one of the UBI experiments and evaluate its results and implications.
RUBRIC
QUALITY OF RESPONSE NO RESPONSE POOR / UNSATISFACTORY SATISFACTORY GOOD EXCELLENT Content (worth a maximum of 50% of the total points) Zero points: Student failed to submit the final paper. 20 points out of 50: The essay illustrates poor understanding of the relevant material by failing to address or incorrectly addressing the relevant content; failing to identify or inaccurately explaining/defining key concepts/ideas; ignoring or incorrectly explaining key points/claims and the reasoning behind them; and/or incorrectly or inappropriately using terminology; and elements of the response are lacking. 30 points out of 50: The essay illustrates a rudimentary understanding of the relevant material by mentioning but not full explaining the relevant content; identifying some of the key concepts/ideas though failing to fully or accurately explain many of them; using terminology, though sometimes inaccurately or inappropriately; and/or incorporating some key claims/points but failing to explain the reasoning behind them or doing so inaccurately. Elements of the required response may also be lacking. 40 points out of 50: The essay illustrates solid understanding of the relevant material by correctly addressing most of the relevant content; identifying and explaining most of the key concepts/ideas; using correct terminology; explaining the reasoning behind most of the key points/claims; and/or where necessary or useful, substantiating some points with accurate examples. The answer is complete. 50 points: The essay illustrates exemplary understanding of the relevant material by thoroughly and correctly addressing the relevant content; identifying and explaining all of the key concepts/ideas; using correct terminology explaining the reasoning behind key points/claims and substantiating, as necessary/useful, points with several accurate and illuminating examples. No aspects of the required answer are missing. Use of Sources (worth a maximum of 20% of the total points). Zero points: Student failed to include citations and/or references. Or the student failed to submit a final paper. 5 out 20 points: Sources are seldom cited to support statements and/or format of citations are not recognizable as APA 6th Edition format. There are major errors in the formation of the references and citations. And/or there is a major reliance on highly questionable. The Student fails to provide an adequate synthesis of research collected for the paper. 10 out 20 points: References to scholarly sources are occasionally given; many statements seem unsubstantiated. Frequent errors in APA 6th Edition format, leaving the reader confused about the source of the information. There are significant errors of the formation in the references and citations. And/or there is a significant use of highly questionable sources. 15 out 20 points: Credible Scholarly sources are used effectively support claims and are, for the most part, clear and fairly represented. APA 6th Edition is used with only a few minor errors. There are minor errors in reference and/or citations. And/or there is some use of questionable sources. 20 points: Credible scholarly sources are used to give compelling evidence to support claims and are clearly and fairly represented. APA 6th Edition format is used accurately and consistently. The student uses above the maximum required references in the development of the assignment. Grammar (worth maximum of 20% of total points) Zero points: Student failed to submit the final paper. 5 points out of 20: The paper does not communicate ideas/points clearly due to inappropriate use of terminology and vague language; thoughts and sentences are disjointed or incomprehensible; organization lacking; and/or numerous grammatical, spelling/punctuation errors 10 points out 20: The paper is often unclear and difficult to follow due to some inappropriate terminology and/or vague language; ideas may be fragmented, wandering and/or repetitive; poor organization; and/or some grammatical, spelling, punctuation errors 15 points out of 20: The paper is mostly clear as a result of appropriate use of terminology and minimal vagueness; no tangents and no repetition; fairly good organization; almost perfect grammar, spelling, punctuation, and word usage. 20 points: The paper is clear, concise, and a pleasure to read as a result of appropriate and precise use of terminology; total coherence of thoughts and presentation and logical organization; and the essay is error free. Structure of the Paper (worth 10% of total points) Zero points: Student failed to submit the final paper. 3 points out of 10: Student needs to develop better formatting skills. The paper omits significant structural elements required for and APA 6th edition paper. Formatting of the paper has major flaws. The paper does not conform to APA 6th edition requirements whatsoever. 5 points out of 10: Appearance of final paper demonstrates the student’s limited ability to format the paper. There are significant errors in formatting and/or the total omission of major components of an APA 6th edition paper. The can include the omission of the cover page, abstract, and page numbers. Additionally the page has major formatting issues with spacing or paragraph formation. Font size might not conform to size requirements. The student also significantly writes too large or too short of and paper 7 points out of 10: Research paper presents an above-average use of formatting skills. The paper has slight errors within the paper. This can include small errors or omissions with the cover page, abstract, page number, and headers. There could be also slight formatting issues with the document spacing or the font Additionally the paper might slightly exceed or undershoot the specific number of required written pages for the assignment. 10 points: Student provides a high-caliber, formatted paper. This includes an APA 6th edition cover page, abstract, page number, headers and is double spaced in 12’ Times Roman Font. Additionally the paper conforms to the specific number of required written pages and neither goes over or under the specified length of the paper. GET THIS PROJECT NOW BY CLICKING ON THIS LINK TO PLACE THE ORDER
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