At the end of the term I ask that you submit a brief essay outlining a recent (within the last year) policy proposal from North America (An e.g. of a past policy proposal is Elizabeth Warren’s universal child care plan). If you wish to discuss a policy proposal outside of North America, please come and discuss with me in office hours before submitting. Due on Friday, April 3rd by 5pm in the class dropbox. An outline of this exercise is as follows:
Part 1: discuss the details of the policy proposal (i.e., tell me what is being proposed, who is proposing it, what country, who is being targeted, why the policy is being proposed, etc.)
Part 2: use the economic framework we have learned throughout the semester to work through the expected “effects” of the policy. Summarize whether any empirical papers have looked at similar policies in other contexts.Part 3: provide an analysis of the policy. This should reflect your opinion on the policy (what will be the outcomes, will it be successful, are there aspects of your setting that will lead to a more or less effective implementation compared to other similar settings, etc.) You may also wish to suggest ways in which this policy could be improved upon.
The essay should be no more than 1,500 words.