Contemporary Public Policy Paper

Assignment Overview

For your final assignment, you will examine the rapidity of change in our contemporary society and what happens when a public policy outlives its original intent. You will analyze the theory of Social Construction of Reality and how public policy is influenced by societal, political, and economic factors. You will choose an existing public policy and conduct an evaluation of that policy. The evaluation will be done in the form of a 10-12 page research paper that can be written with scenario below. 

Final Stages of a Public Policy

There are public policies that were created in an era of industry; however, society is now in an era of information and technology, and those policies that were created may have outlived their original intent. Choose a public policy that has evolved beyond its original intent. Examples:

· Social Security

· Immigration reform

Justify whether the public policy should be modified or abolished, and recommend changes and modifications to the policy. Imagine that you would be testifying this information before a committee that is dependent upon the policy you choose.

Assignment Instructions

Along with the overarching ideas from the option you choose, be sure to address the following in your research paper:

· Explain the evolution of the public policy in society.

· Use the Theory of Social Construction of Reality to explain how organizational structure and environment impact public policy.

· Analyze how societal factors drove the evolution of the public policy.

· Evaluate the structure and purpose of the public policy.

· Evaluate the challenges that the federalist structure of the United States governmental system presents for the public policy.

· Recommend changes or modifications to the public policy based on the analysis of its evolution.

Submission Requirements

· Written communication: Your writing should clearly identify where each grading criteria or part of the assignment is addressed. Your points must be logical, substantive, and relevant based on the evidence presented. The writing must be free of errors that detract from the overall message.

· APA guidelines: Resources and citations must be formatted according to current APA style and formatting. When appropriate, use APA-formatted headings.

· Resources: Your ideas must be supported with relevant recent, scholarly sources that are dated within the past five years and are properly cited and referenced in current APA style.

· Length of paper: 10–12 typed, double-spaced pages, not including the title page and references.

· Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12 point.

· Writing assistance is available through the Writing Center or Smarthinking, the free online writing tutorial and review service.