Writing a policy paper

New version should be completed by the end of summer ch and writing are central to our activities as political scientists. This website is intended to aid students engaged in a variety of related activities: writing a senior honors thesis, taking courses in research methods, and writing a paper for a government or social science ic papers are not simply the result of selecting a research question and putting an answer into words. The core of the website is a series of pages that mirror major stages in writing a major undergraduate thesis. The “writing” section should be of use to all students, regardless of the nature of their approach to political science. Finally, i would like to thank those who shaped my approach to the subjects of research and writing, especially robert farrar, sean gailmard, mark slouka, laura stoker and steve you have feedback or questions about this website, contact me at mbnelson@ this: is the new home for “user’s guide to political science”. Finally, i would like to thank those who shaped my approach to the subjects of research and writing, especially robert farrar, sean gailmard, mark slouka, laura stoker and steve you have feedback or questions about this website, contact me at mbnelson@ this:sity of southern zing your social sciences research g a policy zing your social sciences research paper: writing a policy purpose of this guide is to provide advice on how to develop and organize a research paper in the social of research flaws to ndent and dependent ry of research terms.

How to write a public policy paper

An oral g with g someone else's to manage group of structured group project survival g a book le book review ing collected g a field informed g a policy g a research proposal. Policy memo is a practical and professionally written document that can vary in length from one page to over one hundred pages. There is no thesis statement or overall theoretical framework underpinning the document; the focus is on describing one or more specific policy recommendations and their supporting action , jennifer. Ps: political science and politics 44 (january 2011): to approach writing a policy memo writing assignments are intended to promote the following learning outcomes:Help students learn how to write academically rigorous, persuasive papers about a specific “real-world” issue;. Students to be client-oriented and to better anticipate the assumptions and concerns of their targeted readership; and,Enable students to create original work that synthesizes their research into a succinctly written document advocating change or a specific course of should not approach writing a policy memo like you would an academic research paper. A well-written problem statement], but the overarching objective of a policy memo is not to discover or create new knowledge.

It is focused on providing a pre-determined group of readers the rationale for choosing a particular policy alternative or specific course of action. In this sense, most policy memos possess a component of advocacy and policy advice intended to promote evidence-based dialog about an these intended learning outcomes, keep in mind the following:The overall content of your memo should be strategically aimed at achieving the following goal: convincing your target audience about the accuracy of your analysis and, by extension, that your policy recommendations are valid. Avoid lengthy digressions and superfluous narration that can distract the reader from understanding the policy sionally keep in mind that a policy memorandum is a tool for decision-making. Writing professionally does not imply that you can’t be passionate about your topic, but your policy recommendations should be grounded in solid reasoning and a succinct writing style. The reader should expect your recommendations to be based upon evidence that the problem exists and of the consequences [both good and bad] of adopting particular policy alternatives. To address this, policy memos should include a clear cost-benefit analysis that considers anticipated outcomes, the potential impact on stakeholder groups you have identified, clear and quantifiable performance goals, and how success is to be measured.

Policy memo requires clear and simple language that avoids unnecessary jargon and concepts of an academic discipline. Your memo should have a straightforward, explicit organizational structure that provides well-explained arguments arranged within a logical sequence of reasoning [think in terms of an if/then logic model--if this policy recommendation, then this action; if this benefit, then this potential cost; if this group is allocated resources, then who may be excluded]. Incorporate devices such as capitalization, bold text, and bulleted items but be consistent, and don’t go crazy; the purpose is to facilitate access to specific sections of the paper for successive readings. If it is difficult to find information in your document, policy makers will not use cal and memorandum should provide a set of actions based on what is actually happening in reality. The purpose is never to base your policy recommendations on future scenarios that are unlikely to occur or that do not appear realistic to your targeted readers. Just as you should note limitations in an original research study, a policy memo should describe the weaknesses of your analysis.

Be straightforward about it because doing so strengthens your arguments and it will help the reader to assess the overall impact of recommended policy : technically, your policy memo could argue for maintaining the status quo. However, the general objective of policy memos is to examine opportunities for change and describe the risks of on-going complacency. If you choose to argue for maintaining the current policy trajectory, be concise in identifying and systematically refuting all relevant policy options. Summarize why the outcomes of maintaining the status quo are preferable to any alterative policy , luciana. Massachusetts institute of ure and writing contents of a policy memo can be organized in a variety of ways. Below is a general template adapted from the “policy memo requirements and guidelines, 2012-2013 edition” published by the institute for public policy studies at the university of denver and from suggestions made in the book, a practical guide for policy analysis: the eightfold path to more effective problem-solving [eugene bardach.

Both provide useful approaches to writing a policy memo should your professor not provide you with specific guidance. Note that the most important consideration in terms of writing style is professionalism, not e a complete and informative cover page that includes the document title, date, the full names and titles of the writer or writers [i. The title of the policy memo should be formally written and specific to the policy issue [e. Policy memorandum should begin with a short summary introduction that defines the policy problem, provides important contextual background information, and explains what issues the memo covers. This is followed by a short justification for writing the memo, why a decision needs to be made [answering the “so what? Describe how you plan to identify and locate the information on which your policy memo is based.

This is followed by a description of how your analysis contributes to the current policy debate. It is important to demonstrate that the policy issue may be more complex than a basic pro versus con debate. Proposed a brief review of the specific solutions you evaluated, noting the criteria by which you examined and compared different proposed policy alternatives. In writing this section, state the broad approach to be taken, with specific practical steps or measures that should be implemented. Also, clearly explain why your strategic recommendations are best suited for addressing the current policy in any academic paper, you must describe limitations to your analysis. Cost-benefit section may be optional but some policy memos benefit by having an explicit summary analysis of the costs and benefits of each strategic recommendation.

Most policy memos do not have a formal conclusion, therefore, the cost-benefit analysis can act as your conclusion by summarizing key differences among policy h, eugene. Nevertheless, before you submit your policy memo, be sure you proofread the document in order to avoid these common problems. Acknowledge the law of unintended consequences -- no policy analysis is complete until you have identified for whom the policy is supposed to benefit as well as identify what groups may be impacted by the consequences of implementation. Review your memo and make sure you have clearly delineated who could be helped and who could be potentially harmed or excluded from benefitting from your recommended policy actions. As noted by wilcoxen, this is also important because describing who benefits and who may not can help you anticipate which stakeholder groups will support your policy recommendations and which groups will likely oppose it. By building this compensation into your policy recommendations, you are better able to show the reader how to reduce political obstacles.

Clarify these types of open-ended statements so that your policy can be more fully understood. Be concise -- being succinct in your writing does not relate to the overall length of the policy memo or the amount of words you use. The overarching goal is to be thorough and precise in how you present ideas and to avoid writing that uses too many words or excessively technical expressions. Focus on the results -- while it's important that your memo describe the methods by which you gathered and analyzed the data informing your policy recommendations, the content should focus on explaining the results of your analysis and the logic underpinning your recommendations. The validity of your findings will be determined primarily by your reader's determination that your policy recommendations and supporting action items are realistic and rooted in sound reasoning. A policy memo should be written in a professional tone with recommendations based upon empirical reasoning while, at the same time, reflecting a level of passion about your topic.

Before writing your memo, be sure you are clear about how your professor wants you to cite any sources referred to in your memo. As with any non-textual elements, describe what the reader is seeing and why the data is important to understanding the research another writing purpose of an appendix is to provide supplementary material that is not an essential part of the main text but which may be helpful in providing the reader with more complete information. University of southern sity of southern zing your social sciences research g a policy zing your social sciences research paper: writing a policy purpose of this guide is to provide advice on how to develop and organize a research paper in the social of research flaws to ndent and dependent ry of research terms.