Policy Proposal & Contentions Systematic Review

Keep policy proposals conceptually simple and specific. Bad Congress should provide greater incentives for states to preserve lands from development. Welfare reform should emphasize child care. Campaign spending should be restricted. An educational initiative should be conducted. Good Congress should prohibit any taxation by states of Indian casinos on reservation lands. Congress should abolish the death penalty for federal crimes. The United States should pay the back dues it owes the United Nations.

Keep your language direct and concise. Bad Congress should enact legislation to make it a crime against federal law to discriminate on account of race in who you rent hotel and motel rooms to. Good Congress should prohibit racial discrimination in the rental of hotel and motel rooms.

Make sure your contentions are contentions. Is each a complete sentence? Does each assert that something is true? Does the truth asserted strengthen the case for your policy recommendation? Good The plan would reduce the rate of illegitimate births. The policy would be easily enforced. My policy is consistent with the First Amendment. The spotted owls will all die anyway. There is no record of wolves eating children in the United States. 43% of the benefits will go to the wealthiest 1% of the population. Opponents are wrong to argue that the benefits of Head Start can't be measured past second grade.

Convert your list of contentions into a hierarchical outline. Group your contentions into logical categories. For example: economic efficiency — the economic benefits of my policy outweigh the economic costs; social efficiency — the social benefits of my policy outweigh the social costs; equity or justice — my policy treats people equally; my policy gives people what they've got coming; my policy is fair to all concerned; legality — my policy is consistent with the constitution and laws of the United States; political culture — my policy is consistent with values which are widely shared in the United States; my critics – their arguments are incorrect, unpersuasive, or outweighed by my own.

Write out you policy proposal and an outline of your contentions. Make two copies and come see me on Monday! Sign up for a time slot today.

Term Limits The call for Term Limits is a policy proposal. What do we have to do to reach a reasoned judgment about the wisdom of a policy proposal? –We must anticipate the consequences of adopting the policy and evaluate the relative costs and benefits of each. After all, a good policy is a policy where the benefits outweigh the costs.

Consequences of Term Limits What are the likely effects on voters? What are the likely effects on elections? –Would it favor one political party over another? –Would it affect the quality of candidates?

Consequences of Term Limits What are the likely effects on who serves in Congress? –Would term limits increase the turnover in Congress? –Would term limits make Congress more or less responsive to national moods? –Would term limits advance or retard the election of women and minorities? –Would term limits increase or decrease the the specialized knowledge and experience of members?

Consequences of Term Limits What are the likely effects on power balance in Congress? –Will power be more or less equally distributed among members? –Will members be more or less dependent on staff? –Will members be more or less dependent on lobbyists? –Will members be more or less subservient to special interests? –How will the career motivations of members be affected?

Consequences of Term Limits What are the likely effects on the power balance between Congress and the President? What are the likely effects on the power balance between Congress and the bureaucracy? What are the likely effects on the power balance between Congress and the courts?

Research: If you can answer all these questions – and support your answers with good evidence – then you can write one great policy paper on term limits. Argument: Questions to be investigated in the research phase become contentions to be supported in the argument phase.