GOVT 2306 Project: policy case study
The Policy Case Study Project for this course tasks you with compiling a “brief” over a particular policy issue. Briefs such as these are common ways to synthesize and summarize information to share with others in an efficient fashion – think of them as similar to SparkNotes just summarizing the main ideas. A good brief offers an efficient and relatively complete summary; while an influential brief may also shape those summaries towards particular conclusions. YOUR TASK, broadly, is to craft a policy brief pulling together the variety of concepts we deal with over the semester – political culture, interest groups, lawmaking institutions, constitutional powers, and the making and impact of public policy, etc. – to bring a casual person up to speed on the policy of your choice. In short, you should become the expert on your policy and then share your expert-level understanding.
If you would like some general help in thinking about what a Policy Brief is for or might look like, please peruse these helpful resources from the Universities of Iowa and North Carolina. Both have some helpful advice and examples to view. Neither is exactly this project, but both will give you a good idea of how to move forward. Just be sure that you are addressing the issues in this assignment as you work.
IOWA: Guide to Policy Briefs from the Injury Prevention Resource CenterLinks to an external site.
N CAROLINA: Writing Center Guide to Policy BriefsLinks to an external site.
STEP BY STEP PROJECT BREAKDOWN
- Step 1: Select a Policy
For this project, you will need to select a policy proposed in the current or prior legislative session (or a subsequent special session) in the state of Texas -OR- if you prefer something more general, you may identify a particular policy issue, even if it has not yet formed into specific legislation.
If you are set on exploring an issue from a historical prior legislative session, please see me — I’m not saying no, but I am saying you need to touch base with me first for approval. If you stick with policies from 2021 or more recent, you don’t have to worry about this.
Step 2: Explore the context around the Policy
Presumably, you chose this policy because it’s of interest to you. It’s an item up for community discussion because, presumably, it’s of interest to other people, too. So, WHY IS IT INTERESTING? Explore the historical and/or social and/or economic and/or whatever is relevant context around this policy that has brought us to this point.
Step 3: Explore the divisions of political responsibility and power around the Policy
- When we discuss issues of federalism and the divisions of power between National, State and Local government, we address that responsibilities over policy are frequently debated and shift over time. You need to determine the current status of your policy – who holds responsibility? With what other governments is that responsibility shared, and in what proportion or ratio?
Step 4: Identify the specific departments, people, agencies, etc. who/that work on the Policy
As with the division of power between levels of government, particular governments divide up power and responsibilities among multiple offices. In this step, you need to identify specific agents of the government who work on the Policy. Identify the relevant committees in the Legislature and the prominent politicians shaping that Policy – name names. Do the same for the Executive branch and the bureaucratic agencies. Again, name names – agencies, offices, elected or appointed officials. If relevant court cases have occurred that significantly shaped the policy, this is the spot for it – judges are elected politicians, too. In short, if I have a problem in this area and I want to talk to the Grand Poobah in charge, who should I be talking to? Among those folks in charge, what powers do they have? What general preferences do they hold regarding your policy?
Step 5: Identify the specific groups, organizations, people, or other interest groups (broadly defined) who/that work on the Policy
The previous step was inside the government, now do the outside pressures. Specific names and details on any major influence groups or people, or just any vested interests pushing for a particular outcome. As a citizen, if I have a preferred outcome and want to work with others to make that happen in an organized way, who’s out there already doing the work? You need to address supporters AND opposition – both matter in putting pressure on politicians. Similar to above, a description and quick assessment of the major actors is the goal.
Step 6: Evaluate the Policy and derive your expectations for the future of the Policy
Pull what you now know together, and look forward to where the Policy is headed. What should we be expecting or watching for in the coming months or years? How is this going to play out? Make your predictions! If you are so inclined, this would be the place to advocate more directly for a preferred policy outcome – perhaps this is the place to suggest a strategy for a particular advocacy goal, with a strategy based on the research you’ve done. Explanation is KEY here — very little in politics happens through neglect — specific people take specific actions that help or hurt a policy process, your job is to spell out what we might be looking for in the future.
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