Order Description
SOCW 2363 Policy Brief and Analysis Assignment
You are to prepare a 5-7 page paper (a policy brief and accompanying analysis) for one policy from the list provided to you. This paper should contain the following information: 1) problem description; 2) title and brief description of the policy you have selected that addresses the problem; 3) the goals and objectives of the policy; 4) a description of the benefits and/or services provided under the policy; 5) eligibility rules (be sure to include estimates of those eligible and those receiving services); 6) service delivery system(s); 7) financing; and 8) analysis of the cost-effectiveness and outcomes of the policy. (See Chapin Chapter 5, pp. 185-194, for additional information.)

The policy brief/analysis assignment is worth 30% of your overall course grade and is due by 11:59pm on Sunday, May 1, 2016. The assignment should be prepared as follows: a) 5-7 pages, not including the title or reference pages; b) 1” margins; c) double-spaced; d) 12-point Times New Roman; and e) subheadings (see below). You should primarily use your own words to describe and analyze this policy; however, you may use some short quotes from peer-reviewed literature and federal government policy websites, if cited properly using APA 5th or 6th edition style. Cite all of your sources and place them in the reference page. A good “rule of thumb” is two references per page of text (i.e., roughly 10-14 references, including the policy itself, for this brief).

Students may submit their papers through the Turnitin.com link multiple times up until the due date to make use of the originality reports in revising papers. I highly suggest that students do this to avoid improper paraphrasing (automatic 30-point deduction) and plagiarism (automatic “0” on the paper).

I. Description of the Problem (~ 1 page)
Problem scope – WHY?
• What is the nature of the problem that the policy is intended to address?
• What is the extent (scope) of the problem?
• How many are affected by this problem? (Use specific statistics)
• Why is a policy necessary to address this problem?

II. Title and Description of Relevant Policy (~ 1 page)
• Formal title of the policy
• Detailed description of the policy

III. Policy Goals and Objectives (~ ½ page)
Goals – WHAT?
• What should this policy accomplish?
• What are the Manifest and Latent Goals?
?
IIII. Benefits and/or Programs and Services (~ ½ page)
Benefits & Services – WHAT?
• What is to be delivered? (Is this benefit/service designed to help people overcome barriers to meeting their needs? Or, does the benefit/service exist to correct some “deficit” or behavior? How much consumer choice is allowed?

V. Eligibility Rules (~ ½ page)
Eligibility Rules – WHO?
• Who can receive benefits? Who are the clients? (Can be universal…“all children” “all workers” or, selective – means-tested (financial), disease-specific, etc.)

VI. Service Delivery System (~ ½ page)
Service Delivery Systems – HOW?
• How will services/benefits be implemented? (Hospitals, schools, non-profit agencies, government offices, etc.)

VII. Financing (~ ½ page)
Financing – HOW?
• How will this be paid for? (Taxes? Fees? Licenses?)

VIII. Policy Analysis (~2 pages)
In terms of your analysis, you should answer questions such as the following:
• How effective (in terms of achieving its goals) and cost-effective is the policy?
• How efficient is the policy?
• Is the policy ethically sound? (according to social work values and ethics)
• What does evaluation of potential alternative policies reveal? Are there suitable alternatives?
• What recommendations can be established for positive changes to the policy?

Remember to cite the policy itself, peer-reviewed literature, and other policy sources (government documents, etc.) and be thorough in your analysis.