POLICY RESEARCH/THE NEW DEAL

Policy research paper that expands on one of the policy content. The paper should be in APA format, checked for spelling, grammar, punctuation, and syntax. You do not need (and may not be able) to answer all the sub-points listed under each of the main sections. You are also free to rearrange things if you think some of the sub-points are more relevant to different sections. You must, however, cover the main questions in your analysis (these are highlighted in bold). If you pick a problem for which there is no policy, you will need to talk about why this may be. You may also propose a policy to address the problem, describe it as indicated under question 3 and analyze it according to the four areas listed under question 4. Your policy research paper should include the following points:

1) What is the problem that necessitated the policy?
How was the problem conceived?
Who was affected by the problem and how?
How widespread was the problem?
What were the causes of the problem?
Who was instrumental in problem definition?
Whose values and interests seemed to be significant?
How important was this problem historically?

2) What is the historical background of the policy? Think about:
How was the problem previously handled (if at all)?
What is the legislative history of the policy?
When did the policy originate and how (e.g., law, court decision, executive order, etc.).
How has the original policy changed over time (if at all?)
What unresolved social welfare history issues are present in the policy?
What major social welfare issues were implicitly or explicitly present?
How did the policy address the problem?

3) What is the policy?
How was the policy intended to work?
Who were covered by the policy and what were the criteria for inclusion?
What is/are the social programs that were implemented as a result of the policy?
What were the intended short and long-term goals and outcomes of the policy?
What was the funding mechanism for the policy including long- and short-term?
Who administered the policy – (e.g., what was the role of the private sector as well as local, state, and federal governments in the development and implementation of the policy?)
Who had responsibility for overseeing, evaluating and coordinating the policy?
What role did social work play in the development of policy? In the delivery of services?
What is the knowledge base or scientific grounding on which the policy rests?

4) What is your analysis of the policy in terms of:
a) Goals –
Were the goals just?
Did the goals contribute to a better quality of life for the targeted group?
Are the goals consistent with the values of social work?
How do groups at risk relate to the target group in the policy?

b) Political Feasibility-
Were there hidden agendas?
Who supported the policy and who opposed it?
Was a large portion of the public concerned about the policy?
Did the policy threaten fundamental social values?
Was the policy compatible with the social and political climate of the time?
What was the general public opinion toward the policy?

c) Economic Feasibility –
Was there adequate funding for the policy?
What would future funding needs likely be?

d) Administrative Feasibility –
Did the policy accomplish its goals?
Did the side effects of the policy cause other social problems?
Did the policy represent a wise use of resources?
Were there alternative policies that would have been preferable?
What barriers, if any exist to full implementation of the policy?
POLICY RESEARCH PAPER TIMETABLE:
• Choose a policy content area and policy associated with the content area
• Reason for choosing policy content area and policy
• Brief synopsis of policy content area and policy
• Introduce the issue/problem associated with policy
• Briefly discuss the targeted population with respect to your chosen policy content area/policy
• State your thesis (Do some critical thinking and write your thesis statement down in one sentence). Note: State your thesis and the purpose of your research paper clearly. What is the chief reason you are writing the paper?
• Literature to be used – minimum of seven annotated (7) references (3 books and 4 scholarly articles) NO WIKIPEDIA SOURCES
• References must be approved before being utilized in your paper
• All internet sources MUST be pre-approved before incorporation into final paper (ANY SOURCES NOT PRE-APPROVED WILL NOT COUNT TOWARDS THE 10 REQUIRED REFERENCES
• Outline of paper analyzing each of the four (4) policy areas referenced above

POLICY RESEARCH PRESENTATIONS:

Each student will present a 10 minute presentation on their perspective policy content area and corresponding policy. No power point slides will be allowed, students can only use index cards as a point of reference (note: read ing from the index cards will not be permitted). Students have been working on this assignment all semester and should be able to discuss their papers without any props. Assignment meets Core Competencies: 2.1.1, 2.1.2, 2.1.3, 2.1.4, 2.1.5, 2.1.8.