Order ID | 7838156855 |
Subject | Social Insurance or Social Security plan |
Topic | writer’s choice |
Type | Essay |
Level | High School |
Style | APA |
Sources | i will inform later |
Language | English(U.S.) |
Description |
instruction is in attachment.
Please read this entire page carefully. For your papers, you are required to use the related papers from the reading list as primary sources. You are free to use other sources as well, but the majority should be dated 2018 or later. In grading papers, I look for clear writing and logical arguments. There is always more than one side to an issue or policy debate. Papers should demonstrate an understanding of the complexity of the problem. Appreciation of complexity does not preclude reaching conclusions or making policy recommendations. Papers should also demonstrate an understanding of the basic economics of the problem (graphs optional), but need not be limited either to economics or basic economics. Big picture: what skills are you trying to build and demonstrate with these paper? In short: policy-analytic writing (& analytical thinking). MPA students are good, natural advocates: they marshal all evidence and arguments that support their position. Yet advocates often ignore or downplay evidence that does not support their position. Good analysis makes a genuine effort to evaluate all the relevant evidence and major arguments. Evidence and arguments should shape one’s position on policy. That may be a lot to ask in the politically polarized nation in which we find ourselves in 2020, but I believe it is our best hope. Within reasonable limits, you should be able to treat positions/persons with whom you disagree with the respect you would expect them to give you and your ideas. Late papers will be penalized in grade, typically 1/3 letter grade for each day late. Please submit a paper copy and an electronic copy of your paper (e-mail sanders.korenman@baruch.cuny.edu). Both versions are due at 6:05 on the due date. Please do not miss class or arrive late in order to work on your paper. If the class does not meet on the due date, e-mail alone is fine. Your papers should be entirely new work for this class, and the work should be entirely your own. Papers that you have written for other courses, in original or revised form, are not acceptable. An exception to this rule is that current Capstone writers may be able to use work for this class as part of a Capstone paper. In that case, please send a joint e-mail to me and your Capstone instructor to get prior approval from us both. Proper citations, references, footnotes and other attribution are required. Please read the College’s policy on Academic Honesty. Any format for references etc. is fine, as long as I can find the source should I be interested. Failure to credit sources and/or quote will result in an F grade for the paper and possibly the course. It will also result in a call by me to the appropriate college administrators. On the first page of your paper, please write “I have read the Baruch College policy on academic honesty” and sign your name.
Assignment 1 should be on a topic covered in the Social Insurance part of the syllabus (weeks 2-4). If you have any doubt about whether your topic meets this requirement, please send me e-mail. If you would like to write on a social insurance topic not well covered by the syllabus (e.g., a policy proposal in another country), you need to get approval from me at least two weeks prior to the due date. This gives me a chance to post some required articles for you.
Option 1: Consider either Elizabeth Warren’s plan for reform of Social Security (retirement program) here OR her “First Term Plan for Reducing Health Care Costs in America and Transitioning to Medicare for All” (https://elizabethwarren.com/plans/m4a-transition) Note: her health proposal is complex. I recommend you focus on the part she has titled “Reverse Trump’s Sabotage.” If you prefer to focus on another part of her proposal, please e-mail me first. Then write a paper to answer the following: Briefly: What are the main goals of the plan? What problem(s) with the current program is the plan intended to fix? Briefly: What are the specific components of the reform proposal? (Warning: campaign websites blur the distinction between goals and proposed reforms, so be careful. What, exactly, about the program would change? For example, “make it fairer” or “improve financing” are goals, not policy proposals.) Would these changes improve economic efficiency and equity? Explain. Achieve other goals? Explain. How would you define success? How should we measure success? What are the main strengths and weaknesses of the reform plan versus the status quo? If you had to make a recommendation today, which would you recommend: the current or reformed program. Why? (Please do not propose other changes….choose the status quo or the proposed changes. After all, that is what you have analyzed.) Briefly: Is there additional evidence that would help you to evaluate the proposal? How could you or another researcher go about getting the evidence you’d like? Option 2: Analyze a policy proposal in the area of Social Insurance. Please choose a plausible reform proposal in which there has been at least some interest and about which there is some recent research and evidence. First, briefly (1 page) describe the program, policy, or proposal. You do not need to describe major programs covered in this class such as Medicare or Social Security, but you do need to describe proposed revisions. What are the goals of the current program or policy? According to the best evidence, is it working well? Are there different ideas about what it means for the policy to work well? What are the major (specific) proposed changes? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the proposal versus the current program/policy? Would it improve economic efficiency? Equity? Explain. Any other goals/outcomes? Explain. What do you recommend? What are the likely arguments of your opponents? How would you respond? Are there institutional, financial, or political barriers to acceptance of or implementation of your recommendations? |
Spacing | Double |
Pages | 5 |