POL3 CAP RESEARCH PAPER

Length: 2500 words excluding bibliography and footnotes. (Please indicate the word length on the first page of your essay)

Value: 50%

Due date: 11:59 pm on 2 June 2020 (please submit your essay on LMS via Turnitin)

Please answer one of the following questions in essay form. You must read and cite at least 12 academic sources (i.e. books, book chapters or refereed journal articles).

1. Do corporations have a disproportionate influence over public policy in Australia? (Make sure your answer includes examples from at least three of the different policy areas we have examined this semester).
2. Is the power of the carbon lobby an insurmountable political barrier to effective climate change policy in Australia?
3. Are Alan Fenna and Alan Tapper correct to suggest that the impact of neo-liberalism on Australia public policy has been overstated?
4. Is the Australian welfare state fit for purpose in the 21st century?

NB To keep things simple, assume this question is referring to the Australian welfare state prior to the COVID-19 outbreak (many of the measures that have been introduced as part of the government’s response to COVID-19 bear on the question and – at least for the time being -- are only temporary).

5. What are the major political and economic causes of the increase in income inequality in Australia since the early 1980s?
6. Would the abolition of federalism and the adoption of a unitary system of government be a positive development for Australian public policy?
7. Is it accurate to characterise Australian public policy since World War II as path dependent? (Make sure your essay includes examples from at least three of the different policy areas we have examined this semester).*

*NB This is an interesting but quite difficult question – I’ve included it for those who are up for a challenge!

Please see the next page for grading criteria and referencing information.

Marking Criteria

• Relevance – the essay addresses the question, staying on topic throughout with relevant material directed at what the question is asking.
• Awareness – the essay shows an understanding of the key theories, perspectives, and issues relevant to the topic.
• Evidence – the essay uses appropriate evidence and/or reasoning to support the argument.
• Analysis – the essay examines the topic systematically and in depth, showing the capacity to engage in critical thinking.
• Structure – the essay is well structured throughout with clear paragraphs in a logical order, along with a clear introduction and conclusion.
• Written expression – the essay is clearly written throughout with few errors in spelling, grammar or syntax.
• Research – the essay draws on a good range of appropriate material and cites the required number of academic sources.
• Referencing – the essay is appropriately referenced throughout and the author acknowledges where they have drawn on the work of other scholars through the appropriate use of citations and, where appropriate, quotations. (See below for further information on referencing).

Referencing

It is crucial that you properly reference the research paper. The basic idea behind referencing is that you should acknowledge where you have drawn on the words and/or the ideas of other scholars. Whilst most of you are probably familiar with a bibliography/reference list – a list of the sources you have consulted in your research for an essay – it is important to remember that academic referencing at university level goes beyond this. In addition to providing a bibliography/reference list, you are required to use footnotes or in-text references and where, appropriate, quotation marks, to indicate during the course of your essay where you have drawn on the work of others. If you do not reference properly, you are open to allegations of plagiarism, which, if proven, can result in very severe penalties. To avoid this, please make sure that you complete the library’s academic referencing module, consult the academic referencing tool http://www.lib.latrobe.edu.au/referencing-tool/ and speak to your tutor if you have any questions.

The Politics program is flexible about the referencing system you use for your essay. You may use either the Oxford footnote system or the Harvard system.