Energy Policy and World Politics

Suggested breakdown of the paper’s content:
~ 2 pages: Outline the energy-related problem/issue.
~ 2 pages: Use peer-reviewed (i.e. journal) articles assigned for class and/or survey the
literature at scholar.google.com. Select and review 3-4 relevant policy studies. Relevancy
may be qualified by a study’s topical focus as well as by analogy.
~ 5 pages: In light of your literature review, present and compare three policies: the status
quo and two alternatives to the status quo. One of the alternatives must be proposed in the
“Green New Deal.”
1) In an introductory paragraph, justify each of these policies in a general sense, and
outline the stakeholders.
2) Conduct economic and political analyses of your three policies as follows:
Economic analysis:
o Review Weimer and Vining, Ch.14.
o Conduct a “solution analysis” in line with pp.343-351 and Tables 14.1 and 14.2.
o Include a table in the appendix of your paper resembling Table 14.2 from Weimer and
Vining. Each cell of the table should be referenced either in the main text of your paper
or in footnotes/endnotes.
o Two goals (but not necessarily the impact categories defining these goals) that will be
shared across all students will be “fiscal health” and “social and economic well being.”
The remaining goal(s) will be specific to your specific policy area, the status quo, and
your identified alternatives.
o Base your predictions/expectations on real-world phenomena.
Political analysis:
o Review Weimer and Vining, Ch.11.
o Identify and provide details about the relevant actors in line with pp.264-268 and
Table 11.1.
o Include a table in the appendix of your paper that resembles Table 11.1 from Weimer
and Vining. Each cell of the table should be referenced either in the main text of your
paper or in footnotes/endnotes.
o Identify the anticipated political strategies that may be taken by each of these actors in
line with pp.268-274.
o Base your predictions/expectations on real-world phenomena, particularly media
reports and public opinion surveys.
3) Prescribe a policy – status quo, policy option 1, or policy option 2 – and defend your
choice. Review Weimer and Vining pp.351-357 for details about this process. Both
economic and political analyses must be acknowledged in your prescription.
~ 1 page: Discuss the implications of your selected policy in terms of its long-term vs.
short-term implications.