The first is to be able to conduct research in Public Policy.

There are two basic fundamental principles behind the assignment. The first is to be 
able to conduct research in Public Policy. The task of finding information will familiarize you with the various sources of information that are available. The key to a successful research project is to be able to formulate a "Research Question". The Research Question is what you are attempting to prove or disprove. Modern research should be falsifiable. This means that you should be able to disprove certain theories or statements. It is often difficult to be able to actually prove a hypothesis. Generally you state that you can not prove that it is wrong. (Review hypothesis testing from intro econometrics ). 
The second principle is your ability to understand the relevant theory that pertains to 
your research. The text book should be your first starting point. From there you should 
move to supplemental sources such as academic journals, government publications, newspapers etc. The greater your understanding of the relevant issues the more effective your research will be. 
You will have a choice of two types of essay
1. A research topic as outlined in the above paragraph. 
2. The other type of essay you could produce is a “narrative” essay where you outline the relevant research others have done.
If you have any questions about the assignment or the goals of the assignment please 
talk to your instructor as soon as possible. 
The finished paper should include the following: 
The purpose of the paper (research question) 
The relevant theories 
Your research methodology 
Your research conclusions and analysis 
Appendix with data and any statistical work