Describe policies that states and counties have created surrounding getting rid of
waste. Needs to include policies back in the day like NYC how they used to dump trash in the ocean and
how they’ve improved. Needs to include procedures used today’s date and the specific area of how they
dispose of waste. There are many ways to get rid of solid waste. Handling of solid waste. Transportation of
solid waste. Disposal of solid waste. Open dumping. Composting. Dumping into sea. lay out the different
methods and policies created. The policy paper will describe the key dimensions of a significant,
contemporary urban policy problem and describe the best practices for
addressing this problem from around the country. This is not a case study of a problem in the state of Texas
or a Texas city, but instead an overview of a problem at the urban level and a clear description of what is
working (best practices) from around the country. The paper should be double-spaced, 12-point font and 5
pages in length for the main body of the paper. A title page and works cited page should also be included.
These do not count towards the length requirement. The paper should include at least appropriately cited
academic or professional policy references. This is the absolute minimum number of citations. A strong
structure with a clear introduction that includes a thesis and explicit structure, body, and conclusion is
expected. After your introduction, key body sections of the paper should: a. Define and introduce key
dimensions of policy problem (why is it important, how is it changing over time, etc), b. Describe the best
practices for addressing the problem from cities around the country (this should be backed up by academic/
policy literature). Finally, your conclusion should provide clear take away points for the reader. Please
include bold section breaks between sections. Papers should be in Word and will be reviewed through the
Turn-It-In software to check for plagiarism. Papers should have very few if any replications from other works
found in the Turn-It-In review. There may be a few from the use of common phrases. This
is OK. If there are exact copies of major phrasing or other works that is not acceptable. Papers will not be
accepted for grading if the similarity score is 10% or over. 1. Define the policy problem. This should include
3 parts: a. What is the problem? b. Why is it important? How has it changed over time (worse, better, etc)?
- Describe the best practices for addressing the problem. Best practices are policies that seem to be
working “best” to address the problem. You need to do research to identify these. These are not just your
cool ideas, but should be based on review of the research. See note above on not focusing on Texas-only - Provide clear take away points for the reader. Provide 3 key points. At this point, these will be preliminary
and probably based more on defining the extent of the problem than building clear policy best practices.
That is OK for now.
Your term paper assignment asks you to:
a. Define and introduce the policy problem
b. Describe the extent of the policy problem (why is it important)
c. Describe the best practices for addressing the problem
d. Provide clear take away points for the reader
e. Produce a 5-page paper with a strong introduction, body, and conclusion.
The paper will include 4 sections: - An introduction with a clear thesis and an explicit structure
- Define and introduce key dimensions of policy problem (why is it important, how is it changing over time,
etc) - Describe the best practices for addressing the problem from an urban or regional level drawn from
examples around the country (this should be backed up by academic/policy literature). Note: “Texas only”
papers are not acceptable unless your Texas case is a best practice. The country is a big place with lots of
good ideas. Tell us what the best way to solve the problem is from around the country. - A conclusion that summarizes the paper and thesis and provides clear take-away points for the reader.
If the paper shows more than 5% plagiarism it will not be graded. need to use citations from academic
articles can use google scholar.