Assignment: Policy Brief

1. Identify a social policy issue that is currently or has been recently addressed at the state or federal level by the legislative, executive, or judicial branch of government. It may be an issue that directly or indirectly affects the clients served by your field placement, agency of employment, your community, or an agency at which you have worked.

2. Using one or more of the policy frameworks discussed in class, the examples of policy briefs on the reading list, and available research, write a 6-10 page policy brief (double-spaced, 12 point font, Times New Roman or Courier, with 1" margins on all sides) analyzing this policy. In your analysis, address the following questions (Note: The page estimates below are recommended guidelines, not requirements):

How did the issue come to the attention of policymakers? Briefly describe its legislative history (~1/2 page). This part and the next part will require some background research.

How was the issue legitimated in the eyes of policymakers and the public? Who were/are the key actors who made the issue "legitimate" and mobilized support for or against the policy? Briefly discuss the politics of the issue (~1/2 page).

Identify the population-at-risk that is/will be addressed by the proposed policy (1 paragraph or more with supporting data).

Summarize the research that has already been conducted on (a) the nature of the problem that policy is designed to address and (b) the impact of previous efforts to address the problem (1-2 pages).

What policy alternatives are or have been considered regarding the policy's focus, scope, key components, means of implementation, or cost? What differences do these alternatives reflect in their analysis of the issue, the policy's goals, and its potential impact? (~ 1 page)

What assumptions about problem causation underlie the proposed policy "solution(s)" to the identified problem(s)? (~1/2 page)

Assess the alternative proposals in terms of their comparative

Adequacy: Horizontal and Vertical

Equity: Individual and Social