social policy

Guided by feedback from your first paper, the additional coursework covered, and your expanded

external research, build on Paper 1. A particular area of emphasis in Paper 2 assesses your ability to find

and critically assess peer-reviewed academic journal articles, government publications, policy institute

studies, research monographs, and other types of documents that describe and assess the impact of your chosen social policy.

Critically assessing these readings includes summarizing the main points of these articles, research

methodologies utilized, remaining gaps in knowledge, and a discussion of how these findings can be

used to either generate suggestions to improve the social policy.

The areas of analysis covered on Paper 1 are repeated in Paper 2. This analysis should reflect feedback

you receive from Paper 1 and your expanded knowledge gained from the asynchronous course material

covered in Weeks 4 - 6. There are also additional criteria for Paper 2 that further the scope of the

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analysis which corresponds with coursework. The paper should be between 7 to 10 pages in length (not

counting title page and references).

The following criteria will be used by the instructor in evaluating Paper 2. Each criterion will be scored

as follows: 3 = Good, 2 = Fair, 1 = Poor, 0 = Missing. As there are 15 criteria for Paper 2, the range of

possible scores is 0 to 45 (15 criteria x 3 points each).

IMPORTANT NOTE: Although criteria 1 – 5 are also covered on Paper 1, the student should expand

on the content of their first paper based on feedback from the instructor and the student’s knowledge of the Week 5 (The Policy-Making Process) coursework & the Week 6 (Assessing Social Welfare

Problems) coursework.

Content: Expansion from Paper 1 (based on the feedback from the instructor)

1. The formal name of the social policy being discussed, and a discussion of the goals of the policy, including a description of the policies target population.

2. The agency (agencies) charged with its implementation, the types of benefits provided (i.e., cash grants, vouchers, concrete goods, services, etc.).

3. A discussion of how the policy, and the programs created or maintained by the policy, are

funded, including, when appropriate, the type of funding (e.g., block grants, reimbursements,

etc.), and the source(s) of funding (federal, state, mix of federal and state).

4. The magnitude and dimensions of the social problem/issue that the social policy was designed to

address. This should include relevant demographic data to establish how prevalent the issue or

problem and its effect on individuals, families, communities, and society.

5. The development and evolution of the policy, including identification of previous policies that

the current policy modified or replaced, social and political conditions under which the current

policy was formed, and factors that have affected implementation of the policy, including any

modifications.

New Content for Paper 2:

6. A review of the literature on the effectiveness of the policy. The review should include an

overview of recent empirical studies that have sought to measure the outcomes of the policy or

the problem the policy is designed to address.

7. The review includes an introduction to the nature and scope of the body of research related to the policy.

8. The student’s analysis of the effectiveness of the policy based on their review of the research

literature. This should include an assessment of the limitations of existing research.

9. The student’s assessment of areas for further needed research. Page 11 of 25 Quality of Writing

10. Title page, running head, and basic formatting of the paper in APA Style 6th edition (see sections 2.01, 2.05, 3.03, 8.03, & 8.07 in the APA Publication Manual). An abstract is not required for Paper 2.

11. Headings are utilized to organize the paper (see sections 3.02 & 3.03).

12. In-text citations are formatted in APA Style (see Chapter 6)

13. Direct quotes are not overused. When they are utilized, they are cited in APA Style (see sections 6.03 – 6.09). If no direct quotes are utilized, then the student automatically receives 3 points for

this criterion.

14. The list of references is formatted in APA Style. (See 2.11, 6.22-6.26,6.27-6.31, and all of Chapter 7).

15. Paper is well written: including organization (see 3.01-3.04), style (3.05-3.11), unbiased

language (pages 70-73 & 3.12-3.17), grammar (3.18-3.23), & mechanics (Chapter 4). Paper is

between 5 to 8 pages in length (not counting title page and references).