Why has this policy been developed the way it has, and what is your assessment of the policy?

Assessment 4: Final Policy Analysis Paper

Value: 45%
Length: 2000 words

Description

In this assessment you are required to demonstrate the policy analysis knowledge and skills that you have developed in this course. You will do this by writing a final policy analysis paper in which you provide an analysis and critique of the policy case study you have been working on throughout the semester. You must incorporate the advice from your Assessment 3: Initial Policy Analysis feedback in this Final policy Analysis Paper.

The task of this assessment is to apply all of Bacchi’s (WTP) framework to the analysis of the policy case study and incorporate the ideas from the POLI1066 Weekly reading. Assessments 2 and 3 provided some foundational work which you can use in this assessment. However you will need to edit/modify/rewrite based on the feedback you received from your tutor, and to ensure that it ‘fits’ the structure and requirements of this paper. Time will be dedicated to work shopping this assessment in the tutorials.

Task

Using your policy case study provide a 2,000 word written paper which answers the following question: –

Why has this policy been developed the way it has, and what is your assessment of the policy?

You can prepare your response as an essay or as a report. You must use the following structure and ensure that you address all of the questions and sections outlined: –

1. Introduction (1 paragraph)

Use the model introduction guidelines on the course Blackboard

2. Background Analysis (2-3 paragraphs)

What is the problem represented to be in this policy?;
· What assumptions underpin this/these representation/s of the ‘problem’?;
· How have this/these representation/s of the ‘problem’ come about?; and
·
3. Critique (3-4 paragraphs)

Who was influential in shaping the policy and who was silenced?
· What are the effects (discursive, subjectification and lived) of the policy?
Are these positive/negative? and
· How successfully does the policy address the policy issue?

4. Conclusion (1 paragraph)

Summarise your paper and make sure you answer the question Why has this policy been developed and pitched the way it has, and what is your assessment of the policy? in your conclusion.

You may want to refer to the very helpful GUSS Essential Assessment Guide for Commencing Higher Education students (https://gussskillscentral.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/essential-assessment-guide-for-commencing-higher-education-students_2016.pdf) Step Nine: Careful writing to explain your argument and meet word limits p 17 – 20)

Please note that the originality verification software Turnitin (see http://www.turnitin.com), will be used on all assessments.

Assessment criteria

Your final paper will be assessed on the extent to which you have: –

? Presented a clear, consistent and evidenced based analysis of the policy background, using and demonstrating your understanding of Bacchi’s WTP framework (addressing all questions outlined in the assessment description above);

? Presented a clear, consistent and evidenced based critique of the policy (including your identification and justification of the policy influence/s, policy effects and the overall success of the policy in addressing the policy issue;

? Incorporated the advice and instructions from your Assessment 2: Problem Representation and 3: Initial Policy Analysis feedback;

? Appropriately used a minimum of eight (8) academic texts, including at least four (4) texts (in addition to Bacchi) from the POLI1066 Weekly Course Readings in a way which demonstrates you both understand the author’s ideas and apply these ideas appropriately and correctly as evidence for your argument and analysis;

? Logically structured your paper beginning with a clear introduction, series of paragraphs and conclusion (see the online blackboard for models and exemplars); and

? Presented your paper in accordance with the conventions of good academic writing and referencing.

Course Reading And Research Materials

Online course readings are used rather than a set text. These are available on the course Blackboard. A range of books, newspapers and other media, journals and websites should be used throughout the course and in preparing assessment tasks. Additional reference material for each case study is located on the Blackboard. This material will be updated so you will need to check on the topics you are interested in for new materials throughout the semester. The site will include: –

• References
• Links to journal articles in the RMIT library
• Links to relevant AV materials (eg podcasts and TV broadcasts)
• Policy documents

The following books are on reserve in the RMIT Library:

? Bacchi, C (2009) Analysing policy: what’s the problem represented to be? Pearson, Frenchs Forest

? Maddison, S & Dennis, R (2009) An introduction to Australian public policy, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

? Maddison, S & Dennis, R (2014) An introduction to Australian public policy 2nd ed, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

? Althaus C, Bridgman P. and Davis G (2013) The Australian Policy Handbook 5th ed, Allen & Unwin

Public Policy 2016 – Tips and advice for writing your final essay

Introduction (approx. 200-250 words)
Your Aim: To give the reader a clear account of the purpose of your paper, the way it will be structured and what your argument will be. Use the model introduction guidelines on the course blackboard to see how this should be structured.

You should use the first few lines (the context) to provide an account of the policy including the name (title) of the policy, when it was introduced, and what the key elements of it are (i.e. what does it do, what did it attempt to change).
The introduction should make it clear to the reader that you are going to use Bacchi to analyse your policy.
By the end of your introduction, the reader should have a clear understanding of whether you consider that the policy is/or will be a success and why. This means you need to state your overall argument in the introduction
Background Analysis (3-4 paragraphs)
Your Aim: To demonstrate why the policy is designed the way it is.

You will have already undertaken a lot of this work in Assessment Two and Three. You can use this work but will need to make changes to this based on the feedback you have received from your tutor.

In this section you must answer the following questions: (which are the first four in Bacchi’s framework)

What is the problem represented to be?
This is the first question from Bacchi’s framework, and asks you identify how the ‘problem’ is constructed / framed in the policy.

This requires you to look beyond what the policy says and pay attention to what it actually does.

Once you have identified the PR, you then need to provide evidence to support your claim about the problem representation. Types of evidence might include the use of particular ideas and/or language in the policy documents, the identification of what is and isn’t being funded or specific elements of the policy design.

Remember, you need to explain what it is about the evidence that points to the problem representation being what you have identified it as (providing a summary of the evidence is not enough).

Your key task here is to convince the reader that what you have identified as the problem representation is accurate.

The evidence that you should use in this paragraph should be sourced from the key policy documents.

What assumptions underpin this representation of the ‘problem’?
Your Aim: To demonstrate what kind of thinking led to the problem representation which you identified in question 1 above.

As Bacchi suggests the purpose of this question is to identify the taken for granted assumptions that have influenced the PR. As Bacchi also suggests, these assumptions stem from particular worldviews – that is ideologies and values. You should therefore be linking the assumptions to particular ideologies and values that we have covered in the course.

Tips: Focus on 2 or 3 key assumptions. By limiting your analysis to the two most important assumptions you will have the space to analyse these in depth.

You will need to use the readings (from the Course reader) on values and ideologies to help unpack these assumptions.

You should also identify how the assumption influenced the PR.

How has this representation of the ‘problem’ come about?
Aim: To explain why the problem is represented the way that it is

What you really want to think about here is why “we” understand (your policy issue) the way we do. The issue will have been thought about differently at different times, and in different places. What this question is asking you to do is to trace this history of the problem representation or thinking about the issue, and identify key shifts that have taken place, and explain what influenced these shifts.

Some things that you might want to think about are

Why this representation and not another?

Why ‘we’ think about “Indigenous people/disability/etc ” the way we do?

What previous policies have influenced our thinking?

Have there been ideological shifts that have influenced our thinking?

Have there been specific events that have changed our thinking?

You will need external evidence for this. (i.e. academic papers – some of which are available on the blackboard for your policy case study)

Who was influential in shaping the policy and who was silenced?
Aim: To demonstrate an understanding of the policy debate and identify who/what perspectives were listened to, and who/what perspectives were ignored.

In researching this question you need to identify what was said, suggested or proposed during the making of the policy. In most cases there will have been an official process for people to share their opinion on the policy area (e.g. a senate committee or other submission process).

You need to look at who the key groups were in this process and what they said. You can then compare this to what is actually in the policy to determine who/what was influential (who/what was listened to) and who/what was silenced (whose/what views were ignored).

Critique (2-3 paragraphs)
Aim: The second half of the paper requires you develop an argument in which you assess the policy

The key task here is to develop an evidence based argument about the (likely) outcomes of your policy. In doing this, you need to assess the effects of the policy, and develop an argument about how well the policy addresses the issue.

You will need to undertake external research to inform this. Also, check the blackboard for relevant external journal articles and book chapters. For all of the policy areas there is a wealth of academic research on you policy area that you can, and should draw on. You should be using these to inform and justify your argument

This half of the paper should build on the background section. You should use your initial analysis of the policy as a departure point for your critique. There should be clear links back to the PR, the assumptions you identified and/or ideologies and values.

The two key questions you must address in this section are:

What are the effects (discursive, subjectification and lived) of the policy? Are these positive/negative?
How well does the policy address the policy issue?

Note: You do not need to identify all three types of effects. You can just focus on one or two. In fact, you would be best to do this as it would then allow you to develop a more in depth argument about the effect.

Conclusion (approx. 200 words)
Your Aim: To bring together, and reinforce the arguments you have raised in your paper.

Make sure to not raise new information/claims in the conclusion.

Tip: See blackboard for how this should be structured

Final things….

Make sure you have used a minimum of 8 academic texts (books/journals), including 4 texts from the reading pack (in addition to Bacchi).
Make sure that you read over the criteria and what is required of you
Make sure that you include a properly formatted reference list which includes all the texts you have cited.
Ensure that all sources used are appropriately referenced.
Ensure that you proof read and edit your work.
Take your draft to the RMIT Study and Learning Centre or submit online to Smarthinking:

The Smarthinking Writing Centre provides students with comprehensive feedback on their writing by e-tutors within a 24-hour turnaround. Students receive a detailed, personalized critique of any written assignment, such as an essay, paragraph, report, reflective journal, cover letter, resume. Students can submit writing 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Each writing review includes the writing tutor’s comments inserted within the student assignment and a Response Form detailing additional feedback. Please note: tutors do not edit student work.

How it works

Step 1: Access the Smarthinking link below. You will be directed to the Smarthinking web service. The service is external to the RMIT web site.

Step 2: Click on Writing Centre button and then the Essay Centre button.

Step 3: Fill out the form and upload your work for review.

Step 4: Smarthinking tutors read the piece of writing. Within 24 hours, they return it with feedback focusing on a number areas of identified need.

Step 5: Students login to Smarthinking again to access and download their piece of writing with Smarthinking’s feedback.

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