‎ Political Science

Gun Control Policy Brief (20%): Due as HARDCOPY. You will write a policy brief on “Gun Control”. Your end product must talk, walk and smell like a professional policy brief that you would submit to a policymaker.

Please note that there are multiple genres of policy briefs (there are several policy brief SAMPLES on Blackboard using different genres). However, you should follow the instructions below to write a successful policy brief for this class. For the final exam/policy brief, write a 3-4 page (excluding cover page and works cited page), SINGLE spaced, 12 Times Roman, policy brief advising policy-makers in the US as to which policy alternative they should adopt. A policy brief requires thorough research of the policy problem, careful consideration of policy options for a particular audience such as government officials or bureaucrats, and is intended for readers who have limited time to make practical policy decisions. Although there are additional sources provided on Bb on this policy issue, you will still need to conduct outside research for this project. Your policy brief should have the following components.

1. Executive Summary: This should be a short summary (~ 150 words) of the purpose of the brief and its recommendations, as well as who is writing the brief and for whom. It should appear single-spaced on the cover of the policy brief.

2.   Statement of the Issue/Problem: Phrase the topic as a (1) question that requires a decision. Here are a few examples:

- What role can the {any political, social, religious organization of your choice} play in enhancing the {political/economic/social} status of {any disadvantaged group of your choice}?

- Should {any organization/government of your choice} provide humanitarian assistance to people in the {any war zone/natural disaster situation of your choice}?

- How should {any country or region of your choice} respond to the investment interest of {any multinational corporation or financial institution of your choice}?

- Who should take the responsibility for {fixing any development problem of your choice}?

- When should {any country/organization of your choice} decide to intervene in {any development problem/crisis of your choice}?

3. Background (of the problem): Include only the essential facts that a decision maker “needs to know” to understand the context of the problem. Assume that you have been hired to filter through reams of information on behalf of a very busy and sleep-deprived person. Be clear, precise, and succinct.

4. Statement of why the issue needs to be addressed: This is meant to remind the reader of why the issue matters for the country/group/organization that you are advising.

5. Pre-existing Policies: This summarizes what has been done (by US government- federal and state level) about the problem thus far. The objective of this section is to inform the reader of policy options that have already been pursued, if any. Note that the absence of action may be considered a policy decision. What are the downsides of the current and past policies? What, if any, are the positive outcomes? This section needs thorough research and data.

6. Policy Options: This section delineates the possible courses of action or inaction that the US government may pursue. Please provide the decision maker with 3 potential and realistic courses of action/policy options. You must use the Goals/Alternatives Matrix.

7. Advantages and Disadvantages of Each Policy Option: Write this section from the perspective of the American people and the Unites States as a whole. For clarity, you may present the pros and cons of the options in bullet points or outline format. This may seem like stacking the deck since some options may have only one advantage and several downsides, but it isn’t always that obvious.

8. Your Recommendation: After prioritizing the relative pros and cons of the above options, please recommend one option to the policy-maker. Yes, this may require going out on a limb on an extremely complex issue that challenges your ethical instincts. But in your real job, if you have agreed to advise a particular country/organization/person, then you will be asked to make a recommendation on their behalf.

9. Works Cited: An alphabetized list that properly follows APA citation style.

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