Why Its Become So Difficult For The U.S. Government To Pass Its Annual Budget

Introduction and Conclusion [10 points possible]:

• Introduction: Each paper should have an introduction that provides an overview of the institutions, ideas, and analysis that the paper will discuss, as well as a statement regarding how the student will organize and approach the topic.
• Conclusion: Each paper conclusion should provide a review of the student’s findings or conclusions and speak to the greater importance of the issues discussed.

Analysis [40 points possible]:

• Analysis requires that you use course sources and outside material to critically examine a topic from multiple perspectives. Using your own words, provide your interpretation of the issue and why it is important to discuss in this course. Use outside sources to support your analysis.

Practical Application [25 points possible]:

• Speculate about how useful the topic is to everyday life. Are there any relevant examples (past, present, or potential) that highlight potential outcomes of your analysis and/or the original authors’ points? Use outside resources to apply the topic to the real world.

APA Formatting [5 points possible]:

• Each paper should include an APA title page, page numbers, running head, appropriate APA citations, and a complete “References” page. These pages will not count against your word limit. (See Purdue Owl link above)

Editing [5 points possible]:

• Students should carefully edit their work to avoid spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, or issues with paper organization.

Answer the following questions succinctly using an evidence-based approach:

Choose a policy issue (different from your first paper), briefly describe it and include responses to the following prompts.

1. Brainstorm various policy alternatives to address your policy issue. Then discuss the kinds of things a policy analyst would want to study each policy alternative that you came up with.
2. Much of the policy analysis that is used in public debates today comes from interest groups that are strongly committed to one side of the issue or another or from think tanks that espouse a particular ideology on the left or the right. Do you think these policy commitments make the quality of the analysis in your policy topic suspect? Why or why not?
3. States are often innovators or early adopters of policies that are later embraced by the federal government. How have states responded to this policy issue? Are some states ahead or behind curve?
4.  What is the impact of shutting down the government on this policy issue? Why has it become so difficult for the U.S. government to pass its annual budget?  What OTHER issues, related to your policy topic, does the U.S. government face in terms of passing its budget?
5. Most agree that we should work to bring down the deficit. For your policy topic, should the United States increase revenues by eliminating tax credits and loopholes, raising taxes, or stimulating the economy or should the United States make much more extensive budget cuts? Be sure to provide the arguments for both approaches.