Overview
Choose a current issue that's being debated online or on the news (e.g., student debt and college affordability, mental health and access to care, artificial intelligence regulation and its impact on jobs, social media regulation and digital privacy, housing affordability and cost of living, or foreign policy). You're welcome to choose a topic that interests you, as long as it's a public issue with active policy discussions.
Drawing from Chapter Three's framework on policy analysis, begin by defining the public problem, including root causes. For example, student debt might stem from rising tuition and stagnant wages, while social media related anxiety could be linked to algorithmic amplification and harmful content. Think about how different political perspectives frame the issue. What one group views as a systemic failure, another might view as a matter of personal responsibility.
Next, discuss one or more currently proposed policy approaches (e.g., for student debt: broad loan forgiveness vs. expanded income-driven repayment or free community college, reflecting trade-offs between addressing root causes like high tuition and treating symptoms like repayment burdens).What are the tradeoffs? Consider whether the proposed solutions align with broader national values and priorities, and evaluate them using the criteria discussed in our chapter materials.
Finally, support your finding with polling data or other evidence. Do American's support the policy solution(s) you've chosen?
Here are a few sources to get you started:
The $1.5 Trillion Question: How to Fix Student-Loan Debt?