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Fact sheet
ACT SHEET (AKA ONE-PAGER).
This topic of this assignment is purposefully open ended, as are most such assignments in the world. You need to pick a relatively small slice of a social problem; for example, a big slice would be childcare, a smaller slice might be the impact of raising the wages childcare providers. Note that while much of our reading focuses on the United States, your final project (or midterm for that matter) does not need to be about American social policy.
You will then craft a professional, concise, and informative advocacy-oriented two-page policy brief (one-pager if printed double-sided) on your selected topic. The final product should be easy to read and eye-catching. It could include some combination of charts, graphs, bulleted points, side bars, or other images to help the reader get all the information they need in a concise format. An insanely busy person should be able to understand its point at a glance and understand how this policy problem could be addressed. Needless to say, it is a valuable skill to be able to convey a good deal of information concisely. Some examples include these state fact sheets from the Center on Poverty and Social Policy at Columbia or those on Canada or Australia by the Centre for Global Social Policy at the University of Toronto.
Your fact sheet should present thoughtful policy analysis of the social problem under study based on a carefulreview of the relevant empirical literature, with data and research evidence that documents the pros and cons of the policy topic you are analyzing. You will be graded on the qualityof the evidence you present in your paper and not on the particular position taken. That is, it does not matter to me if a project on Pre-K proposes to make it universal or eliminate it. What matters is that the final product is well-researched, refers to recent data and policy analyses on the issues, and that your analysis is sound and your conclusions are well-documented.
How to do this? There should be three major components: 1) The Problem- Provide context for the problem. Any history needed to understand it? Any significant trends? Any relevant terms, concepts, or vocabulary? 2) Myths and Misconceptions- Anticipate questions by considering roadblocks or addressing incorrect prevailing wisdom. 3) Potential Solutions- Are there countries, states, or private sector actors working on a solution? What are the costs/benefits of a possible solutionand are they greater than cost of doing nothing? May be useful to address counterarguments briefly.
In order to do this you need to have a good understanding of the social problem. How? Prepare an annotated bibliography and include some version it on a third page OR in smaller ont at end (check samples, the choice is yours). The annotated bibliography should be 5-8 sources, more than half of which should be from peer-reviewed sources. This list should include work often cited in this area, and perhaps two different perspectives on your social problem and/or its solution.
It should be 2 pages single spaced so I choose 3 pages double spaced.
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