(1) The Presidential election is upon us. You are a key policy advisor to either the Obama campaign or Romney campaign. The candidate you are working for is thinking about giving poverty and inequality considerable attention. He is also considering a rough plan to expand social welfare provision in the United States. He thinks the slow economic recovery could help build support for his plan. The only trouble is that the campaign needs to wade through the facts on (a) the scope and nature of poverty and inequality in the U.S. and (b) the characteristics and forces shaping U.S. social welfare provision and what presentation of these facts are most efficacious for the campaign. This is where you come in. Your task is to write a memo that uses the literature to address whether poverty and inequality are major problems in the U.S. today—making clear how and why this is the case. From there, advise your candidate whether he should make poverty a centerpiece of the campaign and why, precisely, you are making this recommendation given the candidate’s politics. Finally, and regardless of whether you advise for or against making poverty central to the campaign, you know the candidate may choose to do so. Assuming he decides to advocate for the expansion of social welfare programs, how exactly should they do it? What programs should he highlight? Given what you know about Americans’ views on social welfare spending, the characteristics of social welfare provision in the U.S., typical levels of political knowledge, the realities and responses to welfare reform, and the political forces that shape/d these outcomes, what precise plan would you advise? Said differently, what exactly should the candidate propose when seeking to expand social welfare? What programs should the candidate focus on? Who should be targeted? What kinds of messages or political advertisements or soundbites are likely to resonate and why? What can the candidates count on as impediments/ challenges and why is your plan is best equipped to overcome these challenges? Why?
Life on the campaign trail is hard. Time is limited and the election is only a month away. Thus you know the powers that be in the Romney and Obama campaigns will not read after six pages. Thus, your argument must be succinct (to be read) and grounded in an accurate reading of the empirical literature (to be effective campaign strategy). At root, the memo assesses three things: (1) is poverty and inequality a problem in the U.S.; (2) should your party make poverty, inequality, and expanded social welfare programming central to their efforts to win the White House; and, (3) assuming they decide to expand social welfare programming, what precise strategy is most likely to “work” or resonate with Americans/American policy given what we have learned thus far. Make sure your answer explains why you take the positions you do in light of the literature.CLICK HERE TO ORDER THIS ESSAY!!!!
(2) You are an independent political consultant brought in by a major media outlet (CNN, National Public Radio, PBS, Fox, MSNBC etc.) to comment on the Romney campaigns use of welfare and work requirements during this election season. See, for example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0F4LtTlktm0 The media outlet wants your take on this Romney campaign strategy because of your expertise on the scope and nature of poverty in the U.S., public opinion/values surrounding welfare, the shape of the U.S. welfare state and forces affecting its development, and, of course, welfare reform. What will you say? Given what you know about poverty politics and social welfare policy, is Romney’s strategy the best way to court voters on issues of poverty and inequality? Will the campaign strategy resonate with American voters? Why or why not? How? What voters are likely to find this strategy convincing and why? Given your expansive knowledge is this area, explain to viewers what the Romney campaign is attempting to capitalize on with this strategy. Why did some of the best minds in political consulting figure this would be effective? Finally, would you recommend Romney alter this strategy or keep it going? On issues of poverty, inequality, and welfare should Romney double-down on the content of this ad or should different messaging be used? Explain your response.CLICK HERE TO ORDER THIS ESSAY!!!!
Your answer thus must use the literature to examine (1) why the Romney campaign figured this strategy would be effective and (2) whether or not you think this is the best way for Romney to mobilize his base and win over swing voters on issues of poverty and inequality. If you propose a different or more nuanced strategy, be sure to explain why you think it more efficacious for the Republican Presidential nominee.
Nut and Bolts: Either prompt demands that you convey a considerable amount of material in a succinct, complete fashion. Your essays should be approximately 6 pages in length (double spaced, 1 inch margins, 12 point Times New Roman font). They are due at the beginning of class October 9. Papers will be graded for their ability to do the following: (1) analytically integrate course readings and themes; (2) grammar, structure, and the like. Citations are expected and should reflect the whole of the respective reading’s argument.
Citation style:
• “Three factors have proved decisive in the development of Western welfare states: the balance of power between business and labor, the organization of political institutions, and the nature and extent of racial and ethnic cleavages. Individually and in combination, these factors have determined whether social reformers have been able to build comprehensive welfare states” (Noble 1997: 19).
• Beginning in the late 1960s, poverty governance included the massive expansion of prison and incarceration (Soss, Fording, Schram 2011).
• Declining levels of civic culture make it harder for Americans to realize the ways in which their friends and neighbors struggle financially (class notes 09/15/12).
• “Three factors have proved decisive in the development of Western welfare states: the balance of power between business and labor, the organization of political institutions, and the nature and extent of racial and ethnic cleavages. Individually and in combination, these factors have determined whether social reformers have been able to build comprehensive welfare states” (Noble 1997: 19).
• Beginning in the late 1960s, poverty governance included the massive expansion of prison and incarceration (Soss, Fording, Schram 2011).
• Declining levels of civic culture make it harder for Americans to realize the ways in which their friends and neighbors struggle financially (class notes 09/15/12).
No comments:
Post a Comment