The main assignment for this course is a deep analysis of a particular policy tool in a specific policy domain. Policy tools and instruments, as we will discuss throughout the quarter, are the means by which government attempts to solve policy problems. For this assignment, you will choose a particular policy tool and write a detailed research report about what is known regarding the policy tool’s development, implementation, and outcomes in a given area of public policy (social policy, environmental policy, economic policy, etc.). You will choose a hypothetical audience for this report (e.g. a lawmaker, agency head, executive director of an advocacy organization) so that your analytic report can also be tailored to the specific practical and political implications of the policy tool and its use.
You will choose a specific area of public policy because the practicalities and politics of a policy tool vary widely across policy domains. The feasibility, efficiency, and perceived fairness of a voucher in housing policy is distinct from, for example, the use of a voucher in K-12 education policy. While your analysis will inevitably draw from other lessons learned in other areas of public policy, I expect you to develop a thorough knowledge and understanding of your chosen policy tool specific to your policy domain of choice. An outline for this main assignment and the accompanying rubric I will use to grade these assignments will be distributed in class under separate cover.
As the quarter progresses, I will distribute detailed guidance regarding each stage of the project (e.g., idea sketch, working draft, etc.). Those documents will also be posted on this page.
Please note that specific details for each assignment will be passed out under separate heading and cover.