For this assignment you will take on the role of a public policy developer preparing a briefing note (for information) for your Minister.
Write a briefing note that follows the instructions below.
The briefing note should be 2 to 3 pages long, not including the works cited. (I have provided the page count rather than the word count because you must use the template fonts, font sizes and spacing.)
A primary objective of a briefing note is to make it easy to read for the Minister. Having enough white space around the text can make the document more inviting and simpler to read and understand. Do not adjust the template’s spacing or margins.
Do not provide analysis or recommendations about what the Minister should do. This briefing note is intended to provide information only.
You are not required to use sources beyond those provided in the course modules, but you may find it useful to do so.
You must cite all sources you use, including those you find in the course modules. Provide citations in the text of the briefing note and provide bibliographic entries in the works cited section. I recommend a citation style such as Chicago Style (Author Date) for in-text citations because it doesn’t take up very much room, and you have limited space.
Your briefing note must follow the formatting of the template provided:
Do not change the headings, fonts, font sizes, or margins.
The briefing note must be single-line spaced.
Add the date, title and your name in the places indicated with [square brackets]. Remove the square brackets once you have inserted your new text.
Write in full sentences and use bullets. Each bullet should make one key point and be one to three full sentences long.
Extra instructions and tips are provided in the template. Replace that text with the text for your briefing note.
Choose ONE of the two scenarios below.
For the first scenario, use the resources provided in Module 2. For the second scenario, use the resources provided in Module 5.
Note: Policy Product Assignment #2 will ask you to build upon the briefing note you write for this assignment. So choose the topic you are most willing to think about for the next several weeks.
Assignment Template
Provided
Scenario 1
You are a public policy developer at Fisheries and Oceans Canada in the Government of Canada.
You have been asked by your manager to prepare a briefing note (for information) in response to the Minister’s request. The Minister writes:
Abandoned, lost and otherwise discarded fishing gear (ALDFG), also known as ghost gear, is a significant contributor to plastic pollution in our oceans as well as a hazard for marine wildlife and a threat to economic prosperity in coastal areas. In order to improve our response to this problem, Fisheries and Oceans Canada needs to know more about what efforts are already taking place in Canada.
What is being done by governments and others to combat ghost gear in Canada? What is the scale of these efforts relative to the problems that need to be solved?
Scenario 2
You are a public policy developer in the Department of Health and Community Services for the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador.
You have been asked by your manager to prepare a briefing note (for information) in response to the Minister’s request. The Minister writes:
We have received many complaints – especially from people off the Avalon – about residents of this province who do not have a family doctor and feel like they do not have adequate access to primary health care.
How accessible is primary health care – and family doctors in particular – in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador? We are interested in knowing about urban, rural and remote areas of the province, including Labrador.
Sources:
Siu, Bobby. 2020. Developing Public Policy: A Practical Guide, 2nd Edition, Toronto: Canadian Scholar’s Press.
Dye, Thomas. 1972. Understanding Public Policy, 1st edition. Englewood Cliffs, N.J: Prentice-Hall.
Howlett, Michael, M. Ramesh and Anthony Perl. 2020. Studying Public Policy: Principles and Processes, 4th edition, Oxford University Press.
Jenkins, William I. 1978. Policy Analysis: A Political and Organisational Perspective. London: M. Robertson.
Rawls, John. 2020. A Theory of Justice : Original Edition. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Brundtland, Gro Harlem. 1987. Our Common Future. Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development. Oxford , UK: Oxford University Press.
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