Overview
The purpose of this kind of policy memo is to convince your chosen policymaker to make a certain policy decision on a specific issue. Using the issue and theories you identified in your essay, this assignment requires you to condense this information into a policy recommendation. There is very little new research to do, as most of this work was done in your essay. Now, you need only to choose a policymaker who works directly with the issue you’ve identified and address a memo to them for the purpose of convincing them to adopt a policy. Note: your chosen policymaker must have the power to make decisions relevant to your topic.
Once you have identified your policymaker, you should then distill each of your two theoretical approaches into two policy options for this policymaker to consider. Each policy option should accurately reflect the perspective of the theory. Then, you should write a memo that compares the two policy options and makes a final policy recommendation.
Your assignment will consist of 2 parts:
A title page with a single paragraph that identifies your policymaker to me. (This title page does not count toward the 2-page limit.) What is the policymaker’s name and title? What organization is this policymaker working in? What sort of decision-making power does this person have? (Are they one member of a 5-member committee? Are they the final decision-maker for their institution? Are they uniquely influential in their institution? Why is this policymaker an appropriate target for your policy memo? (Are they Secretary of State or Minister of Foreign Affairs, with the power to steer their state's foreign policy? Are they a United Nations delegate on a specific council or committee relevant to your issue? Are they a world leader? Are they in charge of an NGO or MNC central to your issue?)
A properly-formatted policy memo addressed to your chosen policymaker. This memo must be typed in Times New Roman 12 point font and limited to 2 single-spaced pages. Parenthetical citations (APA) are required. (Author, year, page number if applicable)
A policy memo is a common form of communication between policymakers and their many advisors. The policy memo has 3 key features: brevity, specificity, and clarity.
Brevity: The policy memo is often skimmed over briefly during an elevator ride or hurriedly pressed into the hands of a policymaker at a conference by any number of activists, lobbyists, think-tank researchers, advisors, etc. As such, it should be brief and free of unnecessary words. Sometimes, only the first sentence of a paragraph is read by the policymaker. As such, the writer of a policy memo must make the most of every sentence on the page.
- Specificity: Because of the rushed nature of political communication, as explained above, a policymaker has no time to entertain vagueness. The policymaker will be skeptical of adopting your policy, so make sure every point is supported by evidence or reasoning.
Clarity: Because the policymaker will be skeptical and busy, it is essential that your communication be clear. Typographical errors or run-on sentences that make even good points difficult to follow can cause the policymaker to misunderstand or dismiss ideas. Make sure your memo is proofread for mistakes. Clarity also becomes an issue if the policymaker is left asking “why?” after reading the memo. Keep in mind, the point of the memo is ultimately to argue in favor of a specific policy. Take care to explain why the policymaker should find your recommendation attractive.
Content: Is the chosen policymaker appropriate for this issue? Does each policy accurately reflect the perspective of its corresponding theory? Is the final recommendation thoroughly argued?
Support: Are all statistical data, statements from world leaders, and claims of fact cited appropriately? Are all arguments supported with evidence, logical reasoning, or theoretical framework? Is relevant course material used and cited?
- Structure: Is the information within the memo organized? Is the memo kept to 2 pages or less? Has it been proofread for errors?
The PDF I put below is to help with the issue and theories part!!!