Policy essays - what use?

[DogsArePeopleToo]

Hi everyone,

I wanted to ask you about something: what do schools expect to get from applicants' policy essays? I have been asked by Fulbright to respond to the essay prompt below from the Sanford School. Am I supposed to show that I am already extremely good at grappling with policy stuff? That I know the theory? Or that I can think smartly about issues? Or is it really about judging my writing?

Any feedback on how to approach policy essays would be greatly appreciated.

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Policy Essay: Discuss a particular policy problem or challenge you have encountered in your work or that your country has faced.  Describe the nature of the problem, and discuss some of the ways in which attempts were made to solve the problem, including your assessment of how well the solutions worked or failed. What might you now recommend to solve the problem? Please limit your response to one page

 

[DBear]

The way the question is stated is very standard policy analysis - not really "theory" question, but more necessary to see if you can identify a policy issue, assess it, and make policy recommendations. 

So you need to choose an issue - a real life issue that you've thought about before. You need to identify a particular problem and explain why this is an issue. Then the info about what has been done - this would be a fact based analysis (laws that have been passed etc) then your assessment - that is the key. The recommendation should take into account the facts that you discussed in the previous section and fill in any "gaps"

If you turn the question into a list of bullets and just address issues in that order, you should be fine. In my experience in Policy grad school and as a practitioner, it's always been more an issue of one's ability to assess, analyze, and address policy issues. So relevant cases and comparison (for example, what did country X do about the same problem you're trying to solve in country Y) are more useful than plain theory. So you need to show that you can think about policy things the way a policy person would and it should be well-written. Writing is the central form of communication for policy so being able to write policy papers that are concise and have a clear logic while putting forth your analysis is necessary. Good luck!

 

[DogsArePeopleToo]

Thank you very much @DBear. This is very helpful. In terms of recommendations for admission essays like this, would you suggest sticking to more orthodox policy solutions or bending in the direction of a more creative/original approach?

Also, I would imagine the issue I choose should be simple enough to lend itself to a one-page response. Or I could take one aspect of a broader issue.

[DBear]

20 minutes ago, DogsArePeopleToo said:

Thank you very much @DBear. This is very helpful. In terms of recommendations for admission essays like this, would you suggest sticking to more orthodox policy solutions or bending in the direction of a more creative/original approach?

Also, I would imagine the issue I choose should be simple enough to lend itself to a one-page response. Or I could take one aspect of a broader issue.

If I were you, I would do something that can be wrapped up in one page - as the typical policy memo is 1 or 2 pages. 

I'd choose a topic that is simple enough that you can explain in a page but something that YOU noticed in real life - like the essay prompt says. You need to be able to demonstrate that even if you're in a mundane, everyday situation, you notice things. So for example, let's say a ban on plastic bags. 

1) problem: I noticed there are a whole load of plastic bags that are just floating around on the street etc.... this is a problem because they're ugly and studies show that they have XYZ environmental impact (this is where you'd use evidence)

2) recently, a law has been passed to limit the sale of plastic bags. This is great because XYZ, but has limits because ABC. 

3) I think 1,2,3 should be done to address the limitations in 2) and fundamentally address 1).

 

>> make sure to address law, economy, local communities in developing a solution and use evidence (statistics, government studies) etc. 

I wouldn't get too creative - I'd keep it simple. It can actually be as larger issue like poverty or security issues because policymakers need to know how to condense complicated issues into a short format without leaving out too much. My professors used to call it the written version of the 'elevator pitch.' I personally think it'd be easier to a more micro level issue, but something sophisticated enough. If you have a particular policy area you would like to pursue (health policy, enviro policy etc) it might be strategically beneficial for the issue to be on that area. 

 

[DogsArePeopleToo]

As always, this is very helpful, @DBear. Thank you very much. About the use of statistics, I am not sure the problem I have in mind lends itself to quantified measures...it's a developing world issue that we all know is pervasive but hasn't been measured or studied. Any thoughts on how I might discuss it?

[DBear]

No worries! 

As for statistics, definitely not needed, I think I should have used the word "evidence". If it's a recognized issue, then maybe a line or two about who recognized it: According to the 2014 UNDP report on refugees, this is a prevalent issue. 

Maybe the issue is prevalent but seems to not have gained a lot of attention: The government of Dcountry has been trying to address this issue for decades but has been unsuccessful in attracting foreign aid/ investment. 

I guess the main thing is to be specific if possible. "Poverty is a big problem" needs to be substantiated. How is it a big problem? Why is the problem there? Since this is a policy paper, citing policy-making bodies, laws, and institutional framework will give you that depth. The hard part about policy papers is doing all this while keeping it short. Good luck! Depending on when it's due, I may be able to take a look at the draft or outline, if you'd like. Shoot me a PM if you want

[DogsArePeopleToo]

22 hours ago, DBear said:

No worries! 

As for statistics, definitely not needed, I think I should have used the word "evidence". If it's a recognized issue, then maybe a line or two about who recognized it: According to the 2014 UNDP report on refugees, this is a prevalent issue. 

Maybe the issue is prevalent but seems to not have gained a lot of attention: The government of Dcountry has been trying to address this issue for decades but has been unsuccessful in attracting foreign aid/ investment. 

I guess the main thing is to be specific if possible. "Poverty is a big problem" needs to be substantiated. How is it a big problem? Why is the problem there? Since this is a policy paper, citing policy-making bodies, laws, and institutional framework will give you that depth. The hard part about policy papers is doing all this while keeping it short. Good luck! Depending on when it's due, I may be able to take a look at the draft or outline, if you'd like. Shoot me a PM if you want

Thank you very much! Very helpful feedback. I just sent you a PM.