POLICY ANALYSIS MEMORANDUM ASSIGNMENT
Please follow the directions carefully.
This exercise will require you to explore a pertinent issue before the United States Congress and/or the Executive Branch. Clients who retain strategic advocates rely on their ability to digest complex issues and present concise yet comprehensive analysis about what course of action should be undertaken to best fulfill the objectives of the client. This assignment will provide an opportunity for you to do so as well.
I would like you to write a memorandum not to exceed ten pages that will examine a policy issue of interest to you that is pressing and relevant before the United States Congress or the Executive Branch. Please choose from: budget/appropriations process, global climate change/cap and trade, gun control efforts within the District of Columbia, immigration reform.
Given that this is a “real life” strategic advocacy exercise, I would like you to complete this assignment in the following manner. First, you will write the memorandum to Rich Chris, who is the Senior VP of Government Affairs for the Client. For purposes of this exercise, you are an outside consultant for the Client. As such, if you choose to write about cap and trade emissions, I would like the memorandum to be written to the SVP of an advocacy group that would have a stake in the passage or blockage of such a legislative/regulatory move. This could be the Sierra Club on one side or a group opposed to cap and trade on the other.
Next, I would like you to have a section entitled “Background” in which you discuss the relevant legislative/regulatory history of your subject topic as well as current or proposed legislative/regulatory action that may be pending before the Congress or the Executive Branch. This background section will outline the pertinent facts as well as the arguments to be made for or against the issue at hand. In other words, you should be able to articulate what proponents and opponents of a particular issue might discuss and why their position is relevant and explain it to your client objectively.
Once you have outlined the facts and issues at hand in the background section, I would like you to articulate both a legislative strategy and a White House/Executive Branch strategy in which you would articulate to your client as to how your advocacy organization should proceed to secure passage or block further consideration of a legislative vehicle or proposed Executive Branch/regulatory action.
This exercise will challenge you to draw upon all we have learned in the class thus far. You should be prepared to outline and discuss your strategies while assessing probability of success in your advocacy endeavors. In other words, if you believe your proposed course of action will take several months or the better part of a year, let your client know of the timeline in which you believe your efforts will prove successful.
Do not overlook developing a strategy in which you align your organization with others who seek to achieve the same goal or desired outcome. To best present a winning strategy to your client, you should allow them the ability to review an approach that will allow the group to proceed on its own as well as with other similarly aligned groups/organizations that share your goal.
EXAMPLE MEMORANDUM
TO: Rich Chris, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs
Citizens for a Greener Global World
FROM: Steven Emerson
Strategic Consultant – North Star Consulting
RE: Roadmap/Prospects for Congressional Activity on Global Climate Change during the 2021 Legislative Year
DATE: June 21, 2021
Summary: This memorandum will discuss the prospects for global climate change in the current session of Congress as well as efforts undertaken by the Biden Administration to achieve the same. Given that the Citizens for a Greener Global World support such activities, this Memorandum will outline both the background regarding global climate change as well as proposed courses of activity we believe the Greener Global World should undertake on Capitol Hill, within the Biden Administration and with other similarly concerned advocacy groups to make this dream of reducing carbon emissions a reality.
Background:
Analysis:
Proposed Advocacy Activities on Capitol Hill
Proposed Advocacy Activities within the Executive Branch/White House
Other Proposed Activities
Prospects for Success
Conclusion
