Health Policy Brief Assignment
Students are required to select a topic from the list of topics provided below and write or develop a POLICY BRIEF on one of the topics of their choice. A policy brief is a relatively short write-up commonly used as a tool for advocacy and policy-making. It is used to communicate information to policy-makers, advocates or other persons in leadership positions as guidance for a certain course of action.
Basically, it describes a problem, provides alternative solutions (with advantages and disadvantages) for addressing the problem, and then offers a specific policy action from among the alternatives that offers the best chance for addressing the problem.
You can address your policy briefs to any of the following:
Directors of health programs, health agency leaders, local and state legislators, and activists, state Governors or even Presidents of any country. An example of this assignment is provided on the last pages of the syllabus. IMPORTANT: All Policy Briefs must be the original work of the student. The Professor is aware that there are many examples of policy briefs on the internet and students MUST NOT simply adopt those policy briefs as their own or cut-and-paste from them to make it appear as if it is their work.
Such an act will be considered as plagiarism and for which the student will receive a zero for this assignment.
Below follow is the required outline of the policy brief that students MUST follow. Students who fail to this outline will receive a grade of zero (0) for this exercise.
Brief Outline: All papers must follow this outline
Statement of the problem or issue: brief description of, and justification for the need to address the health problem or topic;
Policy options (describe other policy options that must be considered in addressing this problem. You must state the advantages and disadvantages of each of the options that you provide);
Policy recommendation (after carefully considering each option, state the specific policy recommendation that you suggest or recommend to the person/authority to whom you are writing);
References/Bibliography (provides the original and complete sources of information that you have used to develop the policy brief).
