Policy paper

What is a Policy Paper?

A Policy Paper is different than a standard research paper. The audience for the Policy Paper is not an academic audience, but rather a non-academic audience—a lawmaker, government officials, or a head of an organization (such as a political party or interest group).   
 A Policy Paper is persuasive. The goal is to convince your audience that your position is the correct one. The best way to do this is through providing strong evidence in support of your position. Thus, research is a very important element of writing this paper.
A Policy Paper is efficiently written. Your target audience (lawmakers, government officials etc.) are busy people. They don’t have a lot of time to read policy papers. Thus, your paper should be concise, well-organized, and on point. 
Components of the Policy Paper 

Description of the public policy issue, including the context and importance of the public policy problem. (This section should be approximately 1-2 pages)
Description and evaluation of the current/existing policy (federal or state law, for example) in place designed to address the problem. Explain why the current policy is ineffective and why change is needed. If no current policy exists, explain why it is important to adopt policy to address this problem. (This section should be approximately 1-2 pages)
Identify and describe TWO alternatives to the current policies (or if no policy exists, two policy options to address the problem. In this section you should evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each option. (This section should be approximately 2-3 pages)
Recommend one of these two policies to your audience (lawmaker, government official) providing a rationale for this recommendation. (This section should be approximately 1-2 pages)
Keep in mind that research should be used throughout the paper to provide support for your descriptions and recommendations. 
Paper ends with a bibliography and an appendix of charts/graphs or any other supporting materials. The best papers will rely on scholarly articles and books; a minimum of four sources must be used for this paper.   
Paper should be typed, approximately six-eight pages, double-spaced, using 12-point font and normal margins. All resources should be properly cited and referenced, using APA or MLA citation.
How to Get Started?

(Note: You will be completing a Policy Paper Preliminary Assignment to help with this work). 

1.Identify a public policy issue or problem you will be examining in this paper. Why are you interested in this issue? Describe some of the questions/concerns you have regarding this issue.

If you are having a difficult time finding an idea, look at the textbook and course schedule for ideas. What issue or problem dealing with sex/gender are you concerned about? Are you concerned about the wage gap between men and women? Are you concerned about the gender gap in political representation? Are you concerned about maternity/paternity leave? Eldercare? Wage gap? Criminalization of sex work? Sexual assaults on campus. Etc. 

2. Research your policy issue/problem. Consult the librarians at UWM @ Waukesha or Washington Co. librarians when starting research. They are an incredible resource and are able to meet with students via Teams. I am also able to help.   

The best papers will:

1. Provide a description of the policy problem that is detailed, accurate, and well-supported by research.  

2. Demonstrate an excellent understanding of the context and importance of the problem. 

3. Provide a concise and accurate description of the existing policy. If no current policy exists, provides a well-supported argument for why it is important adopt policy to address this problem.

4. Describe the two policy alternatives clearly and accurately

5. Evaluates the policy alternatives in a way that demonstrates an excellent understanding of the option and is strongly supported by research.

6. Makes a policy recommendation that is persuasive substantiated by evidence, and well-reasoned.   

7. Be written in a clear, easy to follow manner, containing no or very minor grammatical errors or typographical errors.

8. Use a minimum of four high quality sources that are appropriate for the assignment and properly cited.