Impacts of Social Welfare Policies Essay Paper

Impacts of Social Welfare Policies Essay Paper For your final project, you will write a policy brief based on the topic you chose for your annotated bibliography. It should be 1100 words minimum and 1500 maximum, not including the list of sources consulted or bibliography.

Impacts of Social Welfare Policies Essay Paper
Impacts of Social Welfare Policies Essay Paper

Please see attached my annotated bibliography below (after the policy brief instructions) for reference on the topic and sources that should/can be used for this policy brief.

  1. WHAT IS A POLICY BRIEF?

A policy brief is a commonly used advocacy and policy-making tool. Usually publicly available, a policy brief communicates information to policy-makers and advocates for a certain course of action. Persuasive, evidence-based, and structured writing of this type represents one of the most powerful ways of contributing to policy debates and influencing the policy-making process.

Impacts of Social Welfare Policies Essay Paper

A wide range of stakeholders issue policy briefs. Non-governmental actors, such as think tanks, NGOs, philanthropies, and even private sector organizations produce such documents to convince policy-makers that a certain course of action is in their best interest and also in the interest of the society at large.

Policy Brief

Author           Non-governmental stakeholder: think-tank, private sector organization, NGO

Availability   Public document

Audience      Government officials, parliamentarians, general public

Content         Action-oriented; more in-depth weighing and comparison of alternatives; focus on selected policy recommendations from a partisan perspective; aims to convince the government to take action

  1. THE ELEMENTS OF A POLICY BRIEF

Your policy brief needs to strike the balance between a convincing sociological description of a problem which highlights the relevance of the topic and an analytical section explaining options and recommendations from your chosen point of view (this is where you can be more creative).

The recommended solution(s) must come from a sociological perspective of someone in the private sector, NGO, think-tank, or civil society but must also take into account the current government perspective and explain why the proposed change in policy would be in the best interest of the government addressed.

Impacts of Social Welfare Policies Essay Paper

  1. Problem and policy-oriented: A policy brief is practical and action-oriented. Its content must focus on the problem and centered on the sociological dimensions of the issue, as well as the practical solutions that can be offered from a sociological perspective.
  2. You are asked to address one specific sociological issue in your policy brief and you need to provide a discussion of this issue at the beginning of your brief. This sets the stage for your analysis and recommended course of action.
  3. You should use course material and outside sources to support your argument. This material must be cited both in-text and in a reference page. Please choose either APA or ASA and follow the requirements accordingly.
  4. Analysis-driven: Building on facts and evidence, a policy brief analytical thinking on the range of possible solutions for the given problem. The arguments put forward for and against different options should be the result of a measured and balanced consideration of the possible solutions. Your arguments should not be based solely on your opinion or unsubstantiated ideas. You must use research to support your argument.
  5. Evidence-based: To convince policy-makers, it is important to demonstrate that your ideas are well-founded and make sense. For this, you need to provide and cite convincing examples such as data, comparisons, and effects of inactions or policies taken in other countries on this issue. Provide evidence from at least 6 reputable sources and cite these sources properly. If you want to make an argument that is not supported by your first 6 sources, find more articles.
  6. Offers viable recommendations: The goal of your policy brief is to persuade a decision maker to address a specific issue and implement the policy that you have devised. You have to promote your ideas from your chosen point of view (e.g. think-tank, private sector, civil society), especially considering this topic is controversial and you cannot assume readers will share your opinion or automatically agree with your proposed solution. Your sociological recommendations should take center stage, but you should also show your briefís audience why those recommendations are in the best interest of policy-makers.
  7. Appealing layout: A professional looking layout helps making a favorable impression on your target audience. The layout and polished look of your policy brief serves to catch the eye of your audience and draw them into reading it. It shows that your ideas and recommendations should be taken seriously. Paragraphs and sub-headings can make the structure clearly visible at first glance. Recommendations can be numbered or listed with bullet points. An easy to read graph can help to illustrate the major argument or trend. Subtle use of images might also be considered. Keep in mind that a well-designed layout reinforces the substance of your message and does not distract the reader from your arguments.

Impacts of Social Welfare Policies Essay Paper

III. STRUCTURE

A convincing policy brief requires a specific structure and you are advised to follow this structure. You need to guide your target audience through the paper by ensuring all sections and arguments are well-structured, logically developed and focused on the topic. More specifically, your policy brief should have a(n):

  1. Issuing organization. Either use a real organizationís name, or give a very short description of the hypothetical organization that issues your policy brief: ìHuman Rights Watchî, ìlocal human rights organizationî or ìmultinational ICT Corporationî and your name.
  2. Title. Try to keep your title short, so as not to lose the attention of the reader: 10 words or less is a common rule of thumb. The title of your policy brief may seem like a minor point; however, the title is the first thing your audience will read of your brief, so it has to attract them and ensure they consider your paper. Try to make your title memorable by choosing a provocative or surprising title, so that it sticks in the readerís mind. It is often best to communicate your key message and the need for change in the title.
  3. Description of the problem and proposition of the preferred policy. In your introduction, describe the problem that requires attention and action by policy makers. Then, offer in a few sentences your suggested response to the issues you raised; that is, the preferred policy. This introductory section summarizes the key points of the policy brief.
  4. Presentation of selected policy options and discussion of their impact. The main part of your brief should contain a sociological analysis on the issue you are asked to address for each scenario. Defend your arguments against contradictory evidence where necessary and provide in-depth analysis aimed at identifying why your proposed policy is the most viable one. Use strong evidence to support your arguments.
  5. Recommendations. Propose from your perspective one specific and feasible recommendation required to address the most pressing issues outlined at the beginning of your policy brief. Your recommendation should make it clear in detail what policy-makers have to do to adopt your recommendations and why it is in their best interest to do so.
  6. Concluding remarks. Finally, try to ensure that your policy brief feels complete. After completing each individual component of your policy brief, summarize the key message at the very end. Conclude your brief by demonstrating to your readers that your response is logical, relevant and complete.
  7. Reference list. At the end of the brief, include a list of full references to the materials, which you have cited in the main text using the APA citation style.

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