place yourself in the position of senior US government policy adviser. The White House has asked your boss to brief them on
your agency’s top policy priorities. You need to develop a comprehensive policy memo that will give your boss (1) the
critical background information he/she needs on the issue at hand, (2) analysis of the influence of Congress, the Judicial
system, and other government agencies on the formulation and implementation of a specific policy, (3) an evaluation of the
influence that interest groups, political parties and the media have on the policy at hand, (4) a set of options for your
boss to consider regarding a path forward with all these political players (including pro’s and con’s for each option), and
(5) a recommended strategy that you want your boss to present to the White House to win support for your agency’s policy
agenda.
To recap, your memo should:
– Clearly and concisely state the issue at hand
– Provide a summary of the current policy context / relevant background
– Analyze the influence of Congress, the judicial system, and other agencies
– Evaluate the influence of interest groups, political parties, and the media
– Present a set of options for your boss to consider, include pros and cons for each
– Make a recommendation of one of those options and provide further justification for why you are saying that option is the
best. Support your recommendations with references, versus personal opinion.
Formatting Guidelines:
– Use the Turabian format. Be sure to include a title page.
– Reference academic journal articles and appropriate government Web sites.
