Imagine you are a state or city government policy adviser. The governor or city mayor has asked your boss to brief them on a critical problem facing your community (and therefore one of your agency's top policy priorities). You need to develop a comprehensive policy memo that will give your boss:
(1) the critical background information he/she needs on the issue at hand; (2) analysis of the influence of the state/city legislature, the judicial system, and other state/city government agencies on the formulation and implementation of a specific policy; (3) an evaluation of the influence that interest groups, political parties and the media have on the policy at hand; (4) a set of options/solutions for your boss to consider regarding a path forward with all these political players (including pros and cons for each option); and, (5) a recommended strategy that you want your boss to present to the governor or mayor to win support for your agency's policy agenda.