Rutgers University Face Masks and Coverings for The Prevention of Spread of COVID 19 Policy Please be sure to make it clear on your cover page to whom the

Rutgers University Face Masks and Coverings for The Prevention of Spread of COVID 19 Policy Please be sure to make it clear on your cover page to whom the brief is addressed on behalf of which organization (could be real or fictitious).

The Policy Brief Assignments in your syllabus are described as follows in your syllabus:

1 Policy Brief (18 points total): After covering enough ground on U.S. and California institutions and policy-making processes in comparison with other governments in the world, you will write a 2000 word policy brief. This policy piece will be addressed to local, state, or federal level of the U.S. government. Alternatively, it could be written to be submitted to an inter-governmental organization (IGO) or national/transnational non-governmental organization (NGO). For the policy brief you will pick a policy area on local, state, federal, or international level, e.g., immigration, healthcare, education, foreign policy, or environment, in order to outline and propose a certain policy. More information on this assignment will be provided through the paper guidelines sheet and you can get a better idea of those by looking at the sample policy briefs submitted by your friends during earlier semesters.

For my policy brief please do it on the following topic. I am the secretary of health for the State of Pennsylvania and I asking the Governor to draft and sign an executive order mandating the use of facial covers/masks in all public places to help stop the spread of Covid-19. GUIDELINES FOR WRITING BRIEFS
Policy brief is an action-oriented tool targeting policy communities. It helps to
bridge the gap between the academics and policy practitioners. It is one of the
most common and effective written communication tools that outline the
rationale for a particular policy alternative or course of action in a current policy
debate. The purpose of a policy brief is to point out the urgency of a policy
issue for policy communities and the need to adopt the preferred alternative or
course of action outlined. It is, therefore, designed to serve as an impetus for
action. The purpose of a policy brief ranges from exploration of alternative
policies (objective briefs) to advocacy for the adoption of a particular policy
(advocacy briefs). All briefs are focused, professional, evidence-based,
understandable, accessible, practical and feasible, and action-oriented.
The target audience of your brief may possibly be from non-academic and nonspecialist backgrounds and they could be potential decision makers with varying
levels of expertise, policy makers in our selected set of countries, as well as
other global actors with stakes in the region, and finally lobbyists and interest
groups, but not the general public.
For the purposes of our class you can limit your policy briefs to around 1000
words.
Policy Briefs are designed to give balanced information for the policy
communities to make up their own mind on our particular areas of focus. Yet at
particular and critical times a policy group may issue briefs to urge
governments, decision-makers, or local and international actors to adopt a
particular approach to pressing policy problems.
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WHAT SHOULD A POLICY BRIEF DO?
A policy brief should:
? Provide enough background for the reader to understand the problem.
? Convince the reader that the problem must be addressed urgently.
?
Provide information about alternatives (in an objective brief).
?
Provide evidence to support one alternative (in an advocacy brief).
?
Stimulate the reader to make a decision.
WHAT SHOULD A POLICY BRIEF CONTAIN?
To achieve its objectives, a policy brief should:
? Be short and to the point. It should focus on a particular problem or issue.
? not go into all the details. Instead, it should provide enough information
for the reader to understand the issue and reach a decision.
? Be based on firm evidence, not just one or two experiments or a single
year’s experience. It should draw evidence from various sources –
preferably from several different areas or organizations.
? Focus on meanings, not methods. Readers are interested in what you
found and what you recommend. They do not need to know the details of
your methodology.
? Relate to the big picture. The policy brief may build on context-specific
findings, but it should draw conclusions that are more generally
applicable.
PROPOSED STRUCTURE AND STYLE FOR POLICY BRIEFS
A) Cover Page: Your cover page should include the following information:
i) Title, ii) Your name, iii) The organization you represent iv) The name of your
target organization(s).* v) Your executive summary.
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*It/they could be real or fictitious. You are targeting these groups hoping that they will adopt
your policy recommendations. In some cases, your pitch could be made to the organization
you work for –that is, an internal policy brief (e.g. a bureaucrat writing for the congressional
committee s/he is working for); but in most cases it will be another organization, government
agency, branch of an international organization, etc.
The title should be short, catchy, and to the point. You should try to keep it to
less than twelve words. If that is not possible, consider breaking it into a title
and subtitle. It should also be catchy and grab the reader’s attention. Try to
include relevant key words, or find an unusual turn of phrase that sticks in the
mind. Also consider using a question as a title. Finally, it should be to the point:
It should be relevant to the topic.
Executive Summary (not more than 150 words): A short summary is
customarily written for Policy Briefs. It gives an overview of the purpose and
conveys its overarching message. The goal is to catch the attention of the reader
and it is usually written at the end of the writing process. They are sometimes
printed in a box or in bigger type. This may contain three or four bullets giving
the main points in the policy brief. Ask yourself, “What are the main points you
want policy communities to get – even if they read nothing else?”
B) Introduction and Statement of the Issue/Problem: The introduction will
set the scene by presenting the context for the policy problem and linking this to
the specific focus of the policy paper. The introduction will demonstrate that a
problem exists and that the paper will offer possible solutions to the problem.
The introduction will include a statement on the purpose of the policy paper. It
may also contain a brief overview of the methodology used (if you have
employed a unique approach and you need to establish a credible base for the
recommendations that follow).
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The problem description identifies and elaborates the nature of the problem
being discussed. This may include:
– The background of the problem (the history of the problem: its causes; who is
affected; past policies and their outcomes. Give evidence or examples.) or
– The current status of problem (the current extent and impact of the problem,
who is affected, the current policy and its successes and failures. Give evidence
and examples).
C) The Background: Includes only the essential facts that a decision maker
“needs to know” to understand the context of the problem.
D) Pre-existing Policies: This summarizes what has been done about the
problem thus far. The objective of this section is to inform the reader of policy
options that have already been pursued, if any. Note that the absence of action
may be considered a policy decision.
E) Policy Options: This section outlines, evaluates and compares the possible
policy alternatives. All possible policy options should be presented to build a
comprehensive and convincing case. The focus is on evaluating how each
option compares in solving the specific problem. On the basis of this evidence
an argument is made for the preferred policy alternative. This section underlines
the possible courses of action or inaction that you may pursue. The potential
courses of action will be given. Some of them may be wildly unrealistic in your
opinion, but please pose them as policy options nonetheless. Be sure to present
at least three options and not to overwhelm your audience with any more than
five options.
F) Advantages and Disadvantages of Each Policy Option: For clarity, you may
present the pros and cons of the options in bullet points or outline format. This
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may seem like stacking the deck since some options may have only one
advantage and several downsides, but it isn’t always that obvious. Your
organization’s perspective is expected to be most visible in this section. If there
seems to be a clearly better option among possible alternatives, you can go
ahead and make your case for that one.
G) Conclusions and recommendations: A separate “Conclusion” section is not
normally necessary in a policy brief. The Summary (at the beginning)
and the Recommendations section (also may come at the beginning sometimes)
often take over the role of the conclusions section in a policy brief. It is advised
to include a “Conclusions and Recommendations” section to be together in your
Policy Briefs, should you decide to include a conclusions section. Here, the
concluding statements must be short- a total of one paragraph is enough and it
must not merely repeat what you have already stated. Instead, use this space to
draw the text to a close by explaining how urgent the situation is, or how
important it is to select the policy option you recommend.
This section should be rather interested in clearly presenting the case to decision
makers and providing a call to action. The concise synthesis of major findings
will highlight links with the main policy recommendations that follow. The
reader is provided with a set of clear, strong and coordinated policy
recommendations – practical steps that need to be taken to implement the
proposed policy option. Please ensure these are actionable (i.e. linked to specific
policy processes, feasible in terms of policy steps to be taken).
Recommendations do not necessarily have to come at the end of briefs. Some
present recommendations as part of the Summary, or immediately after it, or in
a separate box or sidebar. Some others prefer to distribute them throughout the
policy brief where they best relate to the text, but with each recommendation
highlighted in some way (e.g. with boldface type).
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Some Practical Tips for Structuring the Body of the Policy Brief
Make sure you structure the text in a logical manner. Do not force the reader to
work to understand the logical flow. Some ways to do this:
? Keep the paragraphs short and restricted to a single idea. Consider putting
this idea into a single phrase or sentence and printing it in boldface at the
beginning of the paragraph.
? Use more headings and subheadings than you would do normally. In a
four-page policy brief, you should have at least six subheadings – one for
every two to four paragraphs.
? Re-read each paragraph and ask yourself “so what?” If it is not obvious
what the paragraph is trying to say, rewrite it or delete it.
? A key piece of information to consider is how much your readers may or
may not know about the issue. It is best to write in clear simple language,
avoid jargon and give acronyms in full on first use in the text.
H) Sources Consulted and Recommended: Please provide an annotated
bibliography. You can also describe and evaluate each of the sources for the
audience and recommend certain ones concerning particular dimensions of the
policy issue.
*For your policy briefs, you are advised to use ‘Harvard Style’ format for
references (See Appendix III). If you want to use another style, you should let
me know and use it consistently throughout your briefs.
REFERENCES USED FOR THE POLICY BRIEF GUIDE
This guide relies heavily on and is a synthesis of the material drawn from the
following sources:
Developmental Leadership Program, “Drafting DLP Policy Briefs: A Guide,” Birmingham,
UK: DLP, Policy and Practice for Developmental Leaders, Elites and Coalitions.
http://www.ceps.eu/system/files/article/2010/12/Guide%20to%20writing%20CEPS%20Polic
y%20Brief.pdf (May 28, 2014).
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Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO), “Writing Policy Papers
and Policy Briefs,” Rome, Italy: FAO Food Security Programme,
http://www.foodsec.org/fileadmin/user_upload/eufao-fsi4dm/docs/1_policy_paper_guide.pdf
(May 28, 2014).
Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) (2011) “Writing Effective
Reports” in Food Security Communications Toolkit, Rome, Italy: FAO Food Security
Programme,
www.fao.org/docrep/014/i2195e/i2195e.pdf (May 28, 2014).
Johns Hopkins University, “Writing Policy Briefs: A Guide to Translating Science and
Engaging Stakeholders,” Baltimore, MD: The Women’s and Children’s Health Policy Center
(WCHPC) at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health,
http://www.jhsph.edu/research/centers-and-institutes/womens-and-childrens-health-policycenter/de/policy_brief/index.html (May 28, 2014).
Tsai, K. (2003) “Guidelines for Writing a Policy Brief” Kellee Tsai’s Home Page, Baltimore,
MD: Johns Hopkins University
https://jshare.johnshopkins.edu/ktsai1/web/policybrief.html (May 28, 2014).
APPENDIX I: PREPARATORY QUESTIONS FOR WRITING UP BRIEFS
Before writing up your brief, be sure that you have clear answers to the
following questions:
1. What is the problems that your brief is going to address? What is the aim
of the policy brief? Write one or two sentences from which the rest of the
brief will follow.
2. Who is the audience? What do you know about the audience (e.g.,
technical knowledge, political or organizational culture or constraints,
exposure to the issue, potential openness to the message)?
3. Why is the problem important to them? What is the best hook for the
audience?
4. What background information does the audience need?
5. What other policy or issue briefs already exist? How will your brief differ
(e.g., different information, perspective, aim, or audience)?
6. What data are most important to include for your audience? How will
you present the data so it best conveys its message (e.g., in text, bar
graph, line graph)?
7. What are the policy options (if appropriate to your topic/aim)?
8. What recommendations will you make?
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APPENDIX II: CHECKLIST FOR POLICY BRIEFS
o Do you think your title is interesting, clear, succinct and descriptive
enough to catch the attention of the audience, especially potential
decision-makers?
o Do you think the section and sub-section headings of your brief are
chosen effectively, and they provide a clear overview?
o Does the executive summary convey the overarching message of the
brief?
o Is the policy problem clearly and convincingly defined?
o Does your statement of the problem convince the readers that there is an
urgent problem?
o Are all possible policy alternatives presented and evaluated?
o Is the basis on which you evaluated each option – the framework of
analysis – clearly outlined?
o Do you demonstrate that your chosen alternative represents the best
solution to the policy problem?
o Do you outline a course of action to solve the policy problem?
o Are recommendations clearly written and practical in nature? Are they
easily identifiable in the text?
o Are all suggested sources and appendices relevant and appropriate in
supporting the paper?
APPENDIX III: ‘HARVARD STYLE’ FORMAT FOR REFERENCES
Please use ‘Harvard Style’, where the reference appears in the text in its short
form and the full bibliographic details are provided in an alphabetical reference
list at the end. This page shows the most common formats. Harvard Style guides
are available online.
The format for the text mention is as follows:
… as described in Smith and Jones (2007: 37-9) or
… as proposed in Smith et al. (2006)
Full bibliographic details are structured as follows:
1. Author/editor, with last name first, followed by comma, first initial and
full stop;
2. Year of publication (in brackets);
3. Full title of the publication in italics;
4. Place of publication;
5. Publisher, e.g., The Developmental Leadership Program;
6. Pages cited, if relevant.
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Example: Smith, J. (2005) How Aid Works, London: The Developmental
Leadership Program, pp 31-32.
Smith, J. and Jones, M (eds) (2005) How Aid Works, London: The
Developmental Leadership Program, pp 31-32.
Citing from the internet
The format is exactly the same as for publications (last name of the
author/editor, followed by comma, first initial and full stop, year in brackets,
full title of the publication in italics, place of publication, publisher, pages
cited), with the addition of the URL on a new line and the date on which this
was visited
Example:
Smith, J. (2005) How Aid Works, London: The Developmental Leadership
Program
http://www.odi.org.uk/publications/opinions/94_aid_sept04.pdf (May 19,
2019).
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1
Antimicrobial Resistance Policy
U.S. Food and Drug Association
Antimicrobial resistance is increasing at an alarming rate and has now become a global
threat to public health as a result of overprescriptions by physicians and misuse of antibiotic
drugs by patients. Antibiotic resistance leads to higher severity of illnesses and increased risk of
death, therefore, new policies to reduce antibiotic resistance must be implemented immediately.
Preventing unnecessary antibiotic prescribing, encouraging cross-disciplinary collaboration,
better funding of research and laboratories, development of new antibiotics, and educating the
public about the adverse effects of antibiotic resistance are some of the main goals of the policy.
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The formulation of commercial antibiotics has been one of the greatest discoveries in the
history of medicine for over 80 years due to its exceptional power of saving lives by inhibiting
the growth and reproduction of intracellular pathogens, specifically bacteria. When a person
contracts a bacterial infection, most physicians are likely to prescribe antibiotics to treat the
disease immediately and prevent the symptoms from persisting. Even though antibiotics provide
remarkable clinical outcome in the treatment of an illness, there has been an overprescription of
antibiotics by physicians. Doctors have been prescribing antibiotics more than necessary to their
patients which poses harmful effects over time. At the same time, patients without enough
knowledge about proper antibiotic use, fail to finish their antibiotic treatment and tend to keep
old prescriptions for later use which ultimately contributes to antibiotic resistance. Antibiotics
can kill sensitive bacteria that cause diseases, however, some bacteria can develop resistance and
adapt to the drug, making it “ineffective”. The resistant bacteria that were not killed by the
antibiotic will remain inside the body to grow and reproduce, causing more and more resistant
bacteria that infect the body. Antibiotic resistance has become one of the biggest global threat to
public health today. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2010), at least
2 million Americans acquire an infection caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and 23,000
Americans die from this infection every year.
Background on Antibiotic Resistance
Development of Antibiotic Resistance
Overuse and misuse of antibiotics is the primary driver in the development of antibioticresistant bacterias. CDC (2010) researchers have found out that 1 in 3 antibiotics prescription is
unnecessary which means that physicians have been prescribing antibiotics not only for bacterial
infections but also for viral infections which includes the common cold, sore throats, and
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bronchitis. Respiratory illnesses are usually caused by a virus and antibiotics do not work against
viruses. Antibiotics are created primarily for the management of bacterias since it has the ability
to destroy bacterial cell parts, viruses, on the other hand, are non-living and have a different
genetic makeup. Viruses are obligate intracellular pathogens that need a host cell such as humans
and animals in order to survive and cannot be killed by antibiotics, therefore, misuse of
antibiotics in the treatment of viruses or fungi will result in antibiotic resistance. The normal
microbiota of humans contain beneficial bacterias that aid in immune defense, digestion and
absorption of food, but when antibiotics are not used properly, they can kill some of the
beneficial bacterias and few of them will develop resistance for future antibiotics. By decreasing
the beneficial bacterias in the body, the person becomes more prone to infections because the
growth of resistant bacterias begins to colonize the body and weakens the immune system. Every
year, 47 million unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions put Americans in danger of antibioticresistant infections and a higher risk of death (CDC 2010). CDC Director Tom Frieden, M.D
believes that “Losing these antibiotics would undermine our ability to treat patients with deadly
infections, cancer, provide organ transplants, and save victims of burns and trauma.”
Pre-existing Policy
In 2015, The National Action Plan for Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria was
approved by the White House in an effort to reduce unnecessary antibiotic use by at least half by
the year 2020 (CDC 2010). The following year, Congress allowed $160 million in funding for
CDC to implement the goals of the National Action Plan for Com…
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