HKS Application -- Policy Analysis Question

[2010Applicant]

Can anyone offer some guidelines in tackling the Policy Analysis question in the HKS application?

What kind of analysis is the School looking for? (analytical rigor? balanced viewpoint? reasoning? interest?)

Thanks!

[hatunashnu]

Here is some info I found by searching:

If anyone else has anything to add it would it would be appreciated.

[le_neocon]

Here is some info I found by searching:

If anyone else has anything to add it would it would be appreciated.

I had a look at the memo format. In my case, i'm talking about a specific issue in my region ( outside of the US ). Half of the essay is used up in explaining the issue and analyzing it. The other half is used up in proposing solutions. I can't adopt the memo format as it assumes that the person who you are sending it to does have a certain amount of knowledge already.

Any other thoughts ?

[zourah]

I had a look at the memo format. In my case, i'm talking about a specific issue in my region ( outside of the US ). Half of the essay is used up in explaining the issue and analyzing it. The other half is used up in proposing solutions. I can't adopt the memo format as it assumes that the person who you are sending it to does have a certain amount of knowledge already.

Any other thoughts ?

I actually hadn't seen that HKS sample memo before writing my own. Being unfamiliar with the style, I wrote something much closer to an op-ed piece, from the perspective of a foreign-policy commentator considering the potential benefits of a "league of democracies" while also arguing against its proponents' common assumptions regarding the role it would play in global affairs.

While I'd have panicked to see the formal guidelines while waiting for an admissions response (I only partially followed them), I had in fact laid out a proposal and discussed both its strengths and its drawbacks in a concise style - which is, in the end, what I think they'd like. So keep in mind that you can choose broader topics and that style is flexible. Do be clear and analytical and I think you should be fine...?

[fighter_2008]

My advice would be to make a case by (1) giving your take of the current situation (2) presenting what are the key criteria / considerations that will guide your recommendations (3) make your recommendations / proposals / solutions that are coherent with the criteria in (2).

I'm a current student here at the Kennedy School and I can tell that they place a lot of emphasis on the criteria / key considerations that policy makers need to take into account (in other words why you think a certain way, rather than how you think your solutions / recommendations are going to solve the problem).

Good luck in your essays!

[Batignolles]

Some advice I got from a friend on an adcom: assume that your policy analysis pieces are read by people who are pretty current in the field you're addressing. So if you're writing an obscure piece about a particular land policy on the Rwanda-Burundi border, you might to spend a fair share of your paper on context. But if you're writing about US- EU relations, you can probably assume that the your paper will be read by people have a pretty decent understanding of the current situation. That can really help you to cut a lot of narrative filler from your paper, and focus on the parts where you really differentiate yourself based on the quality of your analysis, insights and solutions.

Me, I'm just going to try and cut 25% of the less important stuff from my 1,000 word policy paper from WWS... gulp