Relying on Intersectional-Based Analysis (IBA) and the Political Economy of Health Framework (PEoH), students will prepare a background paper that reviews the literature on your topic and in so doing begins to contextualise the issue – both its causes and consequences

The major assignment is an intersectional-based policy research paper on a topic related to one of the approved themes for the assignment noted below. The first half of this assignment is a background paper that informs the second half of the assignment, a policy brief that draws on lessons learned in your background paper to articulate policy goals, options, and recommended actions to address the stated problem. The major assignment provides students with an opportunity to apply what they are learning about gendered structural analyses of globalisation’s processes and outcomes, to a current health-related policy issue.
Assignments are designed to help students realise the course learning objectives including to: 1. Develop their understanding of structural analysis, by using the Political-Economy of Health Framework to map the complex relationships between globalisation, gender, and patterns of health inequities. 2. Develop their understanding of and skills in Gender- and Intersectional-based Policy Analyses. 3. Recognise and speak to the ways in which globalisation advances or undermines the world’s progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals for ‘Good Health and Wellbeing’ (Goal 3), Gender Equality’ (Goal 5). 4. Work collaboratively, in small teams to strengthen their collective analysis and problem-solving skills.
PART ONE: The Background Paper- DESCRIPTION: A background paper is a report that is intended to provide contextual and historical information to give people a better understanding of a particular topic or situation. In this assignment, the background paper provides you with the knowledge you need to prepare a well-informed policy brief (the second part of the assignment).
INSTRUCTIONS: Relying on Intersectional-Based Analysis (IBA) and the Political Economy of Health Framework (PEoH), students will prepare a background paper that reviews the literature on your topic and in so doing begins to contextualise the issue – both its causes and consequences. The audience for your background paper are delegates of the United Nations General Assembly, UNGA, so frame your analysis in relation to these world’s leaders commitment to achieving Sustainable Development Goals 3 and 5, on gender equality and health, and any other related goals. The writing style must be professional – clear, concise, persuasive, and accessible.
CONTENTS: The background paper must include the following sections:

Title Page: Be creative folks. The title page should make the UNGA delegates you are writing for WANT to read your background paper!
Table of Contents
Executive Summary: This section provides an overview of your background paper. It should NOT exceed 2-pages and should be written AFTER you’ve completed the other portions of your paper (because you can’t effectively summarise something you’ve yet to write!) HLTC46 Course Assignments Package, Fall 2019 Page 3 of 11
Introduction: This section introduces the reader to your topic and explicitly links it to the current wave of globalisation. Specifically, the introduction should clearly and concisely explain what the issue is, who the major stakeholders are, and why it is an important health policy issue requires attention, that is, why should the UNGA delegates care! Remember, your background paper informs your policy analysis.
Conceptual Framework: This section briefly describes the analytical lens that your background paper applies and introduces the reader to related concepts they need to know in order to understand the issue. Keep this section brief and concise – no more than 2 or 3 paragraphs. Remember, your analytical lens must combine the political-economy of health/PEoH framework and intersectional-based analysis/IBA. We want to see that you understand what PEoH and IBA are and how they fit together and can help us to contextualise and understand a given issue. Remember, the UNGA delegates may not be experts in theory, so you must explain your analytical lens in terms that are accessible to a non-academic audience.
Presentation of the Evidence: This section presents a thematic review of key findings or lessons learned from your review of the related scholarly and grey literature. The themes discussed ought to reflect the priorities of your stated conceptual framework. In essence, this section is a structural analysis of the issue that tells the reader what is known about your chosen topic. After reading this section, the reader should have a clear understanding of the macro-level determinants of the stated problem, and how the issue is gendered.
Conclusion: The conclusion should concisely restate the background paper’s core argument, and in so doing remind the reader why this issue is an important problem that warrants political action.
References
Appendix: Only include an appendix where it is appropriate, for example, when you have maps, figures, tables, or graphs that you think the reader may want to refer to. An appendix is not required. FORMATTING:
Page Length: The background paper NOT exceed 12-pages in length, excluding the title page, table of contents, list of references, and appendix if you choose to include one.
Font, Margins, & Line Spacing: 12-point Times New Roman font, standard 1 inch margins, with page numbers, and double-line spacing. Submissions that exceed the stated page limit (12 pages) will be penalised and we will NOT mark beyond the page limit.
Sub-Headings: Please use appropriate, descriptive sub-headings to organise your paper. This is not a suggestion—use them please!
Source: The background paper must draw on no fewer than 10 scholarly sources from peer reviewed journals. Additional sources can include reports and materials by government and non-governmental organisations.

 
TOPIC SELECTION: The following are a list of approved thematic areas students can explore in the major assignment. Themes are deliberately broad to give students room to find something related to our course that they are especially interested in. This means you MUST spend some time reading and narrow your topic to a very specific and well-defined issue or case study. Remember, whatever you choose to focus on, your paper must consistently and correctly apply a gendered, structural analysis of your chosen topic’s impact on related health inequities.

Export Processing Zones (e.g., Maquiladoras, but many others)
Food, fuel, and financial crises (see the Global Health Watch reports for help)
Global Public-Private Partnerships for Health (Look to our readings for examples)
Human trafficking
Migrant labour in Ontario’s agri-industry (Check-out the film Migrant Dreams for inspiration)
Humanitarian and state responses to “Natural” disasters (e.g., Hurricane Katrina)
Populism and Sexual/Reproductive rights (e.g., abortion in the United States, or the Global Gag order)
Water privatisation (So many examples, including Flint Michigan, or Cochabamba Bolivia; you can also consider specific cases like the Nestle Infant Formula scandal, or the land grabs and use of private militias by Coca-Cola)
Neoliberalism and youth mental health (Again there are all sorts of cases and issues you can explore within this theme, from things we’ve discussed in class, to the impact of austerity and job losses on youth mental health, to the impact of neoliberalism on loneliness, or the relationship between social media and youth mental health).

 
 
PART II – THE POLICY BRIEF DUE: The policy brief is due by 11:59pm, on Friday, November 29th. DESCRIPTION: A policy brief is a short, highly-focussed document that presents the findings and recommendations of a research project to a specialised audience, in this case, to the distinguished members of the United Nations General Assembly. Policy briefs explore an issue and distill lessons learned from our research — they serve as a vehicle for evidence-based, policy advice to decision-makers. The following instructions are adapted from the guidelines for writing policy briefs developed by Canada’s International Development Research Centre, the IDRC.1 In this assignment, the policy brief must be highly polished and well-researched. The brief must provide a concise summary of a particular issue or problem, two or three potential policy actions to deal with the stated problem, an assessment of each of these options, followed-by a recommendation about the best policy option presented. Broadly speaking, there are two kinds of policy briefs: advocacy oriented briefs, and objective briefs. An advocacy brief argues in favour of a particular course of action, while an objective brief presents balanced information to assist policy-makers in choosing a particular course of action from a series of possible actions. For our course, you will be writing an OBJECTIVE policy brief.
INSTRUCTIONS: The policy brief should be no more than 5-pages in length. Drawing on the lessons learned from your research, your policy brief must focus on a single, well-defined question related to your topic that needs answering. Sections of the brief must include the following:

An Attractive Title Page: The title should be a hook: short but catchy! You want it to capture the reader’s attention. Try to include relevant key words, or find an unusual turn of phrase that sticks in the mind. You might also consider using a question as a title.
Executive Summary (150 words): Many policy briefs include a concise summary or policy message at the beginning that highlights the main points raised in the policy brief. Note: This section should end with a clear statement about the goal of any policy action. In the John Hopkins example of a well-written policy brief, the opening paragraph is equivalent to the “Executive Summary” described here. Ask yourself, “What are the main points I want the UNGA Delegates to take from this brief?”. This should be a proper paragraph—avoid bulleted points. It may be easier to write this section after you have a…