Posted: April 22nd, 2015

Why should we end Obama care and start over?

In this paper you will evaluate the following policy proposal:
Why should we end Obamacare and start over?
Your position on this paper is that you want to end Obamacare and start over. The paper will be evaluated on the quality of your analysis and evidence. The paper should be around 15 pages double-spaced with one-inch margins. The paper should have the following elements, but you do not have to use these as headings or organize your paper in exactly this way.

Is there a problem? – To what extent does a problem exist? How do differing values impact whether we see a problem? Do you find the evidence used to argue a problem exists convincing?

Solutions – What are some of the solutions proposed to solve the problem? Focus on one solution and explain how it will work. You do not have to agree with this solution. The solution should be in the context of the question posed for your debate. These are general questions and you may want to come up with a more specific question.

Will this solution solve the problem? – You should present and evaluate the evidence presented by both sides. Some question to think about: Will the proposal create other problems? Are the arguments for against the reform persuasive? What kind of evidence do supporters use to make their case? Does one side have better evidence than the other?

Is the solution feasible? Does this proposal have any chance of becoming law or policy? What obstacles does it face?

Evaluation – Given the arguments presented above you need to provide an overall assessment of the policy proposal. Some question to think about: Is this a good direction to move policy? Are there some aspects you like about the policy and others you do not?
Evidence and Sources

To address the questions above you will need to have multiple quality sources. The Internet and other electronic sources make it easier to find information than in the past, however you should not rely solely on a Google search for information on your topic. You should also look for more scholarly sources, which will require you to use library search engines and other resources. Your paper should have peer-reviewed or academic-journal sources. A policy analysis with only journalistic sources is not well researched. If a newspaper or magazine article discusses a study, then try to find the original source for that study. Do not rely on journalistic descriptions of research. You should also make assessments regarding the quality of the evidence you have found. The library is offering workshops on electronic databases. You can find the times and dates on the library website.

Things to think about when weighing evidence:

Where does the evidence come from? Does the person or organization have expertise in the area they are writing about? Is the person writing objective or are they trying to promote a particular policy agenda? If someone concedes a point from the other side, this can often make us more confident the point is true. For example, if an economist who is well-known for advocating lower taxes concedes that tax cuts do not increase revenue, then this provides stronger evidence that the claim tax cuts increase revenue is false.

Is the evidence based on one study or is there a consensus among experts? In a controversial area of policy many studies will be done by academics and policy advocates. Do not cherry-pick the studies that agree with your position. Look for literature reviews of many studies, which point out consensus or points of disagreements among experts.

If there are disagreements among experts, who do you think makes the better case? For example, how much fraud goes on in the food stamp program? When the two sides talk about fraud are they using the same definition? Do they rely on good sources of evidence or is there evidence mainly anecdotal?

What type of study was done? A statistical study done with a small sample is less persuasive than a large-scale field experiment.

Do we really know enough to predict what will happen? Sometimes we don’t really know what the impact of a policy change will be and the claims from both sides are speculative. In these cases, the choice of moving forward is more a question of risk acceptance and values. For example, many people argued against the 1996 welfare reform because we did not know what would happen and we would be putting poor children at risk. Others argued that it was an acceptable risk because the program was failing so badly.

Citation of sources

Any ideas or facts that you draw from someone else must be properly cited. Students who turn in papers with no sources or where the sources are not properly cited will receive a zero on the paper. Do not plagiarize. You should use Chicago style in your citation.

Writing

A well written paper does a better job of conveying your argument and a poorly written one. Here are some suggestions and common problems that I see that you should avoid.

Have a clear introduction that lays out your argument for the reader.

Subheadings are useful to help organize the paper for your reader.

Do not abuse quotes- Quotes should be used sparingly and not dropped into the middle of a paragraph with no explanation given for why it is relevant. I want to see your analysis and writing.

Do not use overly long or short paragraphs. Each paragraph should develop one idea and then connect to the next one. Long paragraphs are a sign of disjointed and confused thinking while short paragraphs demonstrate you have not thought through your idea or do not have enough material to develop it.