the paper you should offer the reader a clear exposition of the content of the policy or program that exists. If you were writing on pandemic handling by WHO, for instance, you would need to specify when the WHO began to combat the pandemic actively, what strategies have been used, what initiatives have
been undertaken and how much money has been spent.
You should then assess the impact of these policies and programs. If possible, identify quantifiable
measures, and then examine whether outcomes can be connected to the policy. For instance, have pandemic deaths declined to any great extent since the WHO began actively combatting the pandemic? If so, by how much? And to what extent can this be attributed to government policy rather than other factors such as
international policy attention, and/or natural patterns in the epidemiology of the disease?
Following this analysis, you should offer recommendations on how the policy or program can be improved.
What are the shortcomings in WHO pandemic policy? Have WHO authorities failed to target particular
vulnerable groups? If so, how might the WHO rectify the situation? Have aspects of the pandemic been
neglected by WHO?
Finally, you should draw out general lessons based on the WHOs experience with the issue. WHO has had
a mixed bag of successes (AIDS) and failures (Ebola). Other International Organizations (Doctors Without
Borders) took a very different approach on Ebola. What did MSF do well that WHO might copy or modify?
What does the WHO experience demonstrate about effective pandemic policy? How might other
international organizations avoid any shortcomings in the WHO?
The paper must be around 2,500 words, including footnotes and bibliography. Remember that there is no correlation between the length of a paper and the quality of the paper. Being too verbose (i.e., exceeding the above limits) will not improve your grade. Indeed, concision is appreciated.
The draft should be written in essay rather than bullet-point form, with an introduction and a conclusion.
You need to include a bibliography, employ footnotes and use at least 10 substantive sources (i.e. scholarly
works or major reports that are refereed: newspaper and magazine articles do not count as one of the 10).
I will evaluate the paper based on the following criteria:
A sharp and clear argument that is well-defended, anchors the entire paper and conveys the
significance of the case for other countries, settings and International Organization studies / theory.
Lucid presentation of the policy or program with respect to the International Organization. It should be
clear to the reader what has been attempted in the country you choose in the context of the
International Organization.
