Write a paper in which identify a specific policy issue that you believe needs legislative/executive change. This policy must be something that state government officials control (Legislature or Executive Branch) rather than something under the control of courts or the federal government.
Begin the paper by describing the current policy and explain specifically why you think there is a problem. The problem needs to be something that neutral criteria could show is deficient or problematic with the policy. The fact that you don’t like a public policy or that something may go wrong in the future is also not a problem. Make sure to be direct about why the policy is failing or needs government reform. Then describe and explain the specific change(s)/reforms that you would like to see made with this policy. Explain what type of action government would have to take to make this change.
As you do write your paper, you need to cite specific evidence/data to make your compelling argument/arguments to the office holder, both in terms of explaining why the problem exists and why your solutions would possibly work. Make sure to avoid relying primarily upon opinion, you need to need neutral evidence/arguments. Good evidence would be data and evidence provided by academic researchers, think tanks, or government agencies. Perhaps other states have adopted the proposed policy and had great success. Interest groups might also provide good resources, however, students should be careful to avoid biased or overly partisan analyses. The arguments in your paper should not defended ted based on how you “feel”; decision makers are persuaded by data and evidence or possible electoral consequences.
Also, for this assignment, the following topics are not allowed:
Marijuana legalization (there are far too many papers online that students have plagiarized).
Laws passed this past year. Since most of these laws went into effect in September, it will be almost impossible to find evidence or data that the policy is not working.
State Constitutional amendments, such as the creation of a state income tax
Any policy that has been set by court decisions, federal or state, which the legislative or executive branch simply cannot change on their own.
I would strongly caution you against writing a COVID-19 paper, largely because there is not enough “evidence and data” out there right now and I think you will have a hard time completing the assignment.
