DIY Policy Analysis

The purpose of the assignment is to examine how policy analysis is used in public policy by exploring current political tools/instruments used to address a specific social issue. While you will not be expected to perform a formal analysis, you will be able to examine the different ways that the government uses available tools/instruments to address policy concerns. You will research what is currently being done by the government to alleviate a social concern you are interested in and write a 500-word minimum essay on what you have discovered. For example, you may be interested in the issue of industrial carbon emissions. You would proceed by exploring the data on the issue (i.e., what have you observed or what studies have shown regarding the issue). Then look into how the issue has been addressed by the government, such as through regulations, fines, incentives, technology tools, etc. Explore the merits/issues of the tools employed by the government to address the concern. For example: Do fines really change the level of carbon emissions? Are the regulations sufficient to address the issue? Then consider what might be a new or better means of addressing the issue. Maybe there is an ethical issue in how the identified tool is employed. For example: maybe technology could be employed to improve carbon emissions. The assignment must meet the following college writing expectation: Writing should establish the purpose of the essay with a clear, sustained point of view. Writing should follow the conventions of Standard English (correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling). Writing should be well ordered, logical, and unified as well as original and insightful. Writing should follow APA citation and reference style. 7 EDITION Utilize the Assignment Resources for further direction if needed. Explore: Find a civic (policy) issue that you are interested in. Research the issue sufficiently to be able to explain it. Then research governmental policy that is in place to address the social issue. Look into historic policy actions as well as current policy actions. Determine what level/branch of government is involved. Identify two different governmental tactics that are being employed (or were previously employed) to address the social issue (e.g., laws, fines, taxes, propaganda, licenses). Research Government Tools/Instruments: Use the assigned readings and other sources as needed to learn about the various types of public policy tools and instruments (e.g., political authority, incentive tools, capacity-building tools, hortatory tools, learning tools). Organize the examples of governmental tactics you have found in terms of what type of tool/instrument they are. Look for any work that discusses the effectiveness of each tool/instrument (in general or the specific example). Reflect: Consider the relative effectiveness of each tool. Think about the positives of each tool and the potential drawbacks of each tool. Think about what you think is the best tool for the future for improving the social issue of interest. Paper Format: After completing your preparations, you will write a 500-word minimum paper about two specific examples of public policy tools and instruments currently used to address the social issue of interest. Part 1: Introduction Begin by introducing the civic/policy issue you are interested in. Discuss the historic and current governmental response to the issue based on your research. Identify what level/branch of government is involved in the policy response to the issue. Include appropriate specifics of how the government currently responds or historically responded to the issue to frame the situation as you see it now. Part 2: Policy Tool Example #1 Identify one specific policy action in response to the issue (historic or current). Provide the specifics of how the policy action functions (or functioned) in response to the issue. Identify the type of tool/instrument this policy action is best categorized as (e.g., political authority, incentive tools, capacity-building tools, hortatory tools, learning tools). Use the assigned readings or other appropriate material to define the type of tool/instrument. Discuss the merits of or issues with this particular approach to the problem (e.g., cost, possible harm to the public, effectiveness or lack thereof, efficiency, equity, ethics). Use available research or logical application of the course material as needed. Part 3: Policy Tool Example #2 Identify a second specific policy action in response to the issue (historic or current). Provide the specifics of how the policy action functions (or functioned) in response to the issue. Identify the type of tool/instrument this policy action is best categorized as (e.g., political authority, incentive tools, capacity-building tools, hortatory tools, learning tools). Use the assigned readings or other appropriate material to define the type of tool/instrument. Discuss the merits of or issues with this particular approach to the problem (e.g., cost, possible harm to the public, effectiveness or lack thereof, efficiency, equity, ethics). Use available research or logical application of the course material as needed. Part 4: Discussion/Conclusion Summarize the main points of the paper. Discuss the relative effectiveness or weakness of the specific actions (or the tools in general). Propose a future policy action that you think would more effectively address the issue. Justify your proposed policy action using academic sources or logical application of the course material or personal observations. Explain how it is better than the previously discussed policy actions. Part 5: References List all cited references in alphabetical order by author in APA format.