None.

• The main written test will require answering three questions  to be chosen from four proposed  questions. 
• Each correct question will receive up to 3.33 point.
• For each of the three questions, the response should not exceed one side of a page.   

The optional activity proposed as continuous assessment exercises (PEC) in the course "Comparative Policies in Europe" aims to improve the skills of the students and their autonomous search for information and first-hand knowledge of the public policy activity nearest to them through the development of original and individual analysis with which the assimilation of some of the concepts and descriptions in the readings of the learning units can be assessed.

The continuous assessment exercises (PEC) may be organized through different methods such as response memos or short papers responding to the readings or to practical issues given by the course teaching team.

The memos shall briefly explain the key points from the selected readings and apply it to the one policy problem that the student is working on or identifies an important debate related to that policy problem or issue. The students may also be asked to discuss the change, reform or the implementation of a public policy cross-nationally.

This test must be submitted to your instructor for grading. The activity must be handed in by using the virtual platform, once the student should have studied the main topics of the course.

This year, students of this course have the option of improving their final grades through the elaboration of an optional exercise. The teaching team proposes that students write a policy memo that has to be submitted using the corresponding task in the ALF platform).

The exercise consists in writing a policy analysis memorandum or “policy memo” addressed to an imaginary boss (a public decision maker belonging to the national, regional or local level of government, for example a Minister, director general, mayor, regional minister, etc.) wherein you should:

• clearly and concisely identify a problem that has been recognized by the authorities as a problem of public concern;

• define three alternative solutions to the problem at hand, including potential variants (keep in mind that one option could, technically, be to do nothing);

• establish criteria to weigh solutions (e.g., equity; political feasibility; technical feasibility; efficiency; effectiveness, etc.)

• weigh the alternative solutions using the criteria you established.

• recommend a preferred course of action, supporting your recommendation with estimation of expected outcomes and a commentary on the political and economic feasibility of your recommendation.

The policy issues discussed may revolve around either the topics or policy sectors dealt with in the course or consist in other current and controversial policy issues where there is public and media discussion such as e. g. the prohibition or regulation of prostitution and fining of its users, the legalization of soft drugs, the limitation of executives’ salaries, the prohibition of smoking in public places, the high rate of secondary education dropout, the introduction of civic education in schools, the liberalization of commercial opening hours, etc.

The body of your memo should be limited to four-five pages. Please read and study the advice about writing policy memos by Weimer we have uploaded, alongside the sample of a memo by a fellow student in other university and the other links provided at the following page.

In general, we expect from your policy memo to contain at least:

• A brief introduction that clearly and straightforwardly defines the problem (or, more rarely, the need to stay with the status quo) and then outlines the major points while providing a snapshot of the conclusion.

• A section that is effectively an extended problem definition.

• Clearly identify alternatives AND the criteria you are using to weigh the alternatives (e.g., efficiency, effectiveness, equity, political feasibility, etc.);

• Overtly weight the alternatives in terms of the criteria you identify.

• Unequivocally advocate one of the alternatives and your reasons why you are advocating this.

• write an executive summary that summarizes the whole document. (sources and citations are not necessary, but when identifying information (e.g., a statistic), you should mention in the body of the memo from where the statistic comes and/or the name of the report).

• The format should be single space for the whole document, adding an extra space in between paragraphs while using Times New Roman 12 point font throughout.

• Feel free to be creative in terms of crafting an aesthetic look to the memo.

Other resources in the web may be helpful for writing the memo:

1) http://www.mm.cs.sunysb.edu/300/lectures/HOW_TO_WRITE_A_POLICY_MEMO.pdf

2) http://slc.berkeley.edu/writing/PublicPolicy.htm

3) http://dspace.mit.edu/bitstream/handle/1721.1/36824/11-479Spring-2004/NR/rdonlyres/Urban-Studies-and-Planning/11-479Spring-2004/9CE4ACA2-EC3D-4C1D-91CC-27971E27DCF5/0/pmwriting.pdf

In the course 'Comparative Public Policies in Europe', the on-site personal written test will represent at least 90% of the final grade. Students can earn the remaining 10% through continuous assessment, which will be added to the marks obtained in the in-person test, provided that the test has been marked with a grade of at least 5 points out of 10.