Be sure to be specific in the area you choose Your policy brief should be addressed to a decision-maker; in particular, your audience can be the head of government or the head of a political party or interest group. You are their employee. You cannot assume any detailed knowledge about the issue or the context. At the same time, your supervisor is busy; you must provide concisely a comprehensive, detailed account that will inform your boss as it argues for a certain outcome. Components of the Policy Brief/Requirements Title Page: Required Part One: Executive Summary: The Executive Summary should be approximately 1-2 double-spaced pages, and it must be on a separate page(s) between the title page and the beginning of the brief itself. Although you may number it Page 1 if you would like, it does NOT “count” towards the 10-12 page minimum/maximum guidelines for the paper. I strongly encourage you to begin numbering the pages of your policy brief with the Introduction: The Policy Issue section below. In the Executive Summary, you should succinctly summarize the content of the entire brief, including its purpose and recommendations. Your boss is so busy that he or she may not have time to read the brief itself. The summary should be accurate, but should also get the reader’s attention. Part Two: Introduction – The Policy Issue: Begin with a quick summary of/introduction to the policy issue or problem at stake, its importance, and the primary goals and policy options available. Part Three: Background – The History of the Issue and Its Context: Provide some historical background for the question at hand. You may wish to discuss three topics in particular. First, the issue: what has happened on this issue historically? Focus your discussion primarily on the past two decades, and note that the absence of action may be considered a policy decision. Second, the players: what are the contemporary positions of the major opposition party or parties, and the major interest groups concerned about this issue? In other words, what are their goals and what are their policy recommendations? Third, the government’s objectives: what are the goals for the government in this policy area? Remember that these goals, along with the analysis of the goals of other players you have identified, will guide your analysis of the available policy options later in Part Four. Also remember to include the essential facts that a decision maker “needs to know” to understand the context of the problem. Assume that you have been hired to filter through reams of information on behalf of a very busy person. Be clear, precise, and succinct. Part Four: Main Body – The Major Policy Options Under Consideration: This section delineates the possible courses of action or inaction that your supervisor may wish to pursue. Please provide the decision maker with at least three potential courses of action. Some of them may be wildly unrealistic in your opinion, but please pose them as policy options nonetheless. At the same time, it would not be prudent to overwhelm the decision maker with too many choices. Max of 5.The discussion of each option should be balanced, but should also build an argument that one option is most preferable. Present the pros/cons, or advantages/ disadvantages, of each option you present. You should pay attention to not just the “nuts and bolts” of the issue, but also to the political feasibility of the options you are examining: if a particular option seems politically infeasible, this concern must be dealt with in the brief. Part Five: Conclusion and Recommendation: Close the brief with a recommendation for your supervisor that summarizes your position. As a policy analyst, make it clear why the recommended policy meets his or her goals (better than the alternatives). Follow that up with an analysis of how the option you have recommended should be pursued politically. What can that supervisor do politically to promote the decision that he or she would like? How can the supervisor convince others to accept the policy as desirable? In this section or elsewhere in the brief, be sure to bring in opposing views (and their supporting evidence) and deal with them directly as a means of making your own argument stronger and more balanced. Bibliography: Please cite all sources using APSA Style. When citing sources within the brief itself please use parenthetical notation only. Sources and Bibliography: The policy brief should be well-researched and demonstrate that you have mastered the existing information on your chosen policy issue. The best policy briefs will cite a variety of sources including academic journals, books and book chapters in edited volumes, government reports, information from trusted, respectable websites, and other material. You must cite a minimum of TEN quality, diverse sources in your policy brief. At least FIVE sources must be articles in academic journals etc.