Research Paper: Choose a policy problem Examples: crime, pollution, poverty, traffic, day care, discrimination, morality issues, declining quality of education, drug abuse, the national debt, terrorism, access to health care, etc. Don’t choose a policy (i.e. national health care legislation, death penalty, etc.)
From there Discuss the following Definition of the Problem: society, personal, media, etc. Literature Review: previous studies Policy History: past policies Qualitative Research: interviews Conclusion: summary, policy recommendations
Social Problem: Local Teen Pregnancy Department of Political Science Kenneth E. Fernandez
Definition of the Policy Problem 1. How does society view this policy issue? (general public opinion/media) 2. How do you view this policy issue? 3. How does the academic community see this problem? 4. What’s the scope of this problem? Is this an international, federal, state or local problem (or all of the above)
Example: Definition of the Problem How society sees the problem: Socioeconomic problem Moral Problem Health Problem How I see the problem Quality of Life Issue
Academic Perspective
The Literature Review The formal literature review is a very specific piece of writing designed to: inform your readers of your topic establish your credibility as a researcher argue the need for, and relevance of, your work
Writing your Literature Review Writing a good review requires you to: read a few good reviews develop a structure write purposefully (rather than randomly) use the literature to back up your arguments (especially in your conclusion)
Academic Sources Your literature review section should use only academic sources. What is an academic source? You can use anything else in any other section (Time magazine, internet source, newspaper, etc.), but in the literature review section use only academic sources.
Use Correct Citation Style Use APSA citations style Don’t use titles or authors’ full name in text (only in bibliography). Look at academic articles in journals like American Political Science Review, American Journal of Political Science, Political Research Quarterly, etc.
Example: Pape (2003)
Teen Pregnancy Example What does the literature say about?: Causes: Why don’t teens use contraception? Causes: What Factors are associated with Teen Pregnancy? Parents Married/Unmarried Lived in same home since age 6 Family Income Race / Culture Solutions: Contraceptive use v. abstinence
Policy History What has been considered What has been Implemented rejected
Teen Pregnancy Policy History Examples Increased Information In-School presentations (school board decisions) Advertisement (state & county public health dept. programs) Promoting Family Values (Federal Govt./Private Sector) Increased access to services (Planned Parenthood/State & County Public Health Department) New Technology (RU-486; emergency contraception)
Qualitative Research Identify the local experts and political actors that are addressing this issue Interview at least 2 policy experts What is an expert? If in doubt email me who you will interview
Conclusion: What caused this problem? What should be done about it (what policies should be adopted)? How would one begin to accomplish this (policy implementation)? Back up with evidence from lit review and what the policy experts you identified said
Example Causes: Two parents working (less supervision) Mixed messages – elites saying sex is bad, media – sex is good Lack of access to birth control. Alcohol and drugs. Culture/Race/Religion
Recommendations High-risk vs. low risk / Street contact vs. School contact After-care referrals Access to emergency contraception Access to information Limitations?
The End I hope this presentation gives you some ideas on how to approach your problem and how to organize your paper. Of course it pretty easy to sit here and talk about a problem and have some bullet points. The tough part is to write up a well-organized, well-researched, paper that articulates all the points discussed above. Start early. If writing isn’t your strong point get help.