A good policy analysis topic is a current social problem that can be addressed by government action. The news can be a good way to find current social problems and recent policies that have been enacted or are under consideration.
How to Choose
Within the guidelines of the assignment, choose a topic that interests you. This makes it much easier to do the research and writing required for your work. Get inspiration from course readings or areas you want to learn about.
Keep the scope of your topic manageable. You don't want a topic that is so broad your sources don't relate to each other, but you also don't want a topic that is so narrow you can't find many or any sources at all. Use questions like who, what, when, where and why to narrow and broaden your topic
Developing a Topic
Spend some time exploring ideas or concepts about your topic. Write down two or three subtopics that are related to your main topic. Continue brainstorming by jotting down related terms, and keywords. This exploration can be used to determine the scope of your research, formulate a research question, narrow or broaden your topic and identify keywords.
Includes Daily--"your source for everything happening on the Hill" (published every day that Congress is in session); Hotline--news on campaigns and predictive intelligence on elections; Daybook--important events and hearings in Washington; Race Tracker; and The Almanac of American Politics--profiles of every member of Congress, and demographic and historical election data by state and congressional district and directories for all federal staff.
Nexis Uni contains thousands of full-text sources including newspapers, news wires, television news transcripts, newsletters, magazines, and trade journals. Business sources include company information, industry news, and biographical information. Legal sources include law reviews, legal reference works, and federal and state caselaw (court decisions), statutes, and regulations. Also includes select international court opinions and municipal ordinances. Coverage dates vary. International and U.S. sources.
Dates vary, but some historical coverage as far back as 1690. More than 5000 sources worldwide, including nearly 1500 in the U.S. Many historical newspapers are in digitized image form. Largely newspapers, with newswires, transcripts, newsletters, magazines, videos.
Provides access to over 16,000 global sources including: * 1,000+ Global and local newspapers * 3,000+ Journals and magazines * 30,000+ Company Reports. Factiva.com delivers content in 27 languages, from Arabic to Vietnamese.
