Assignment 3, Part B: Policy Memo Policy Description, Analysis & Recommendations

Assignment 3, Part B: Policy Memo (Policy Description, Analysis & Recommendations)
Submit Assignment
Due Feb 19 by 11:59pm Points 40 Submitting a file upload File Types doc, docx, txt, and pdf
Purpose
To assure that policy decisions are wise, just, and ethical, social workers must be skilled at analyzing policy. Policy analysis involves finding and synthesizing information, explaining problems that policies address, estimating the effectiveness of alternative proposed solutions, evaluating proposed solutions against goals and values of the social work profession, and developing and communicating policy positions and recommendations.
Complete a policy analysis focused on a bill that has been introduced in the current session of the Colorado General Assembly or another State legislature. Federal legislative proposals may also be selected; however, student should discuss this with the instructor prior to completing the assignments. Students are strongly encouraged to analyze a proposal at the state or local level as social work policy practice often occurs at these levels.
DUE Session 7
Audience: Legislator and/or legislative staff or agency staff
Assignment type: Memorandum (professional writing)
Footnotes or endnotes are most appropriate for this style of writing. A minimum of 5-7 credible sources are required. Please consult with your instructor about style regarding references.
Write a 4-6 page memorandum (single-spaced) that a) describes the problem that your bill attempts to address and b) analyzes how effective you believe the bill will be in addressing that problem. The memo should describe ONE social problem, and may analyze one proposed legislative change to explore how the legislation would address the problem – or the memo can compare two legislative solutions to decide which approach would address the problem most effectively.
The memo should be written in ordinary prose. It should not be written in a question-and-answer format. Write in a way that is easy for ordinary members of the public to understand. Minimize use of specialized terms and jargon. Rely primarily on short, declarative sentences using the active voice. Avoid compound sentences and long paragraphs. Make good use of headings to help organize the text. Samples of references for public policy documents are available on Canvas and in your textbook. Please also refer to Effective Writing for Policy Analysis Assignments, in this syllabus, and to the Colby textbook (especially pp. 97-106).
Problem Description
The problem description portion of the memo should address any of the questions below that seem most relevant to the problem and/or the legislation being analyzed. Memos do not need to answer ALL of the questions below, but should answer at least SOME of them.
What is the nature of the problem? What are the causes of the problem?: Students may want to explore how newspapers and other popular media define the problem and explain what is causing it, compared with how experts in government, academia, trusted professions, and the private nonprofit sector define the problem and explain its cause.
How widespread is the problem? How many people are affected by the problem? Who is affected and how?: How extensive is the problem? To what extent can the seriousness and prevalence of the problem be described with reliable statistics or quantitative estimates? What segments of society are affected by the problem, positively or negatively? What social values are related to this problem? How are they challenged or threatened? In what ways (if any) does the problem raise issues of social justice? How else does the problem affect the public interest?
Who are the stakeholders?: Identify the stakeholders of this problem. Iit is critical to include those who are most impacted by the problem as well as those who benefit from the problem’s existence. How does the problem produce or perpetuate marginalization.
Explain how any other politically significant values are at stake, such as national security, family values, profitability of business investments, personal liberty, or group privilege, or equal opportunity.
Policy Analysis
Applying Colby's guidelines for policy analysis, discuss the historical background of the policy, summarize your problem analysis, describe and analyze the policy. The analysis portion of your paper should present intellectually rigorous and logical analysis of the bill based on documented or verifiable facts and defensible theories. Your analysis should:
Identify goals, values, ideological assumptions, or concerns motivating political interest groups and major players, and others who would be affected by the bill. Note any important conflicts between goals or values held by those various interests.
Discuss political, economic, and administrative feasibility of the policy, with attention to effectiveness and efficiency
Evaluate the likelihood the policy will accomplish its goals
Examine how cost-effective the policy is compared to alternative proposals, the status quo, or inaction
Advocacy & Recommendations
The recommendations portion of your paper should advocate policy improvements benefiting vulnerable populations or others served by the social work profession. Examination of unintended consequences as well as previous attempts to address the problem are critical components of recommendations. Recommendations should be consistent with goals, values, and ethics promoted by the social work profession. Theories of social justice described in the Colby textbook or other readings may provide support for your recommendations. Be sure your recommendations are consistent with the facts and analysis presented in the paper.
Effective Writing for Policy Analysis Assignments.
Rely, at least in part, on authoritative sources of facts, ideas, and theories. Examples of authoritative sources include:
Articles in peer-reviewed scholarly and professional journals
Scholarly books from academic publishers
Research reports by government agencies, university centers and institutes, ethical and well-established professional societies, and other research organizations well-regarded by academic and professional peers.
Some nonprofit policy studies organizations with explicit value orientations or advocacy missions nevertheless are widely regarded—even by their opponents—as reliable sources of policy research and analysis. See, for example, the Colorado Center on Law and Policy (http://www(dot)cclponline(dot)org
(Links to an external site.)
Links to an external site.
), or the Bell Policy Center (http://bellpolicy(dot)org/
(Links to an external site.)
Links to an external site.
).
Do not rely on facts alleged by Wikipedia, blogs, editorial opinions, advocacy position papers, talk shows, political speeches, party platforms, unaccountable web pages, or other unverified sources. If you wish, you also can collect additional information for your paper by conducting and/or citing interviews with generally respected nonpartisan experts. Interviews may be conducted in person or by telephone. Cite sources of information you collect from interviews in accordance with section 6.20 (p. 179) of the APA Publication Manual, 6th Edition, or other relevant style guides--that is, put the information in a footnote or endnote, but make sure you've cited interviews properly.
Previous