COM101: Argument and Email Writing (20%)

Due: July 6, 2022

To: karina.gould@parl.gc.ca

From:

Date: July 6, 2022

Subject: Suggestion related to Drug problem in Canada.

Dear Ms. Gould.

I am an International Student who recently came to Canada. In a research assignment for

a course assessment, I studied about the drug problem in Canada. In the last year, 23% of

children in Ontario say they were solicited, sold, or provided a drug at school. 219,000

pupils roughly. In a poll of teenagers in Ontario, 42% reported using illegal drugs over

the previous 12 months. In Ontario, 83 percent of grade 12 students use alcohol. 49

percent of students in grade 12 report binge drinking. The top four drugs taken by

teenagers in Ontario are: Alcohol accounts for 58% of the population; cannabis

(marijuana) for 25%; non-prescription use of painkillers including codeine, Percocet,

Percodan, Demerol, or Tylenol #3 accounts for 17%; and tobacco accounts for 11.7%

(Teenchallange.ca, 2022)

It's frequently important to alter behavior to address societal issues. We must consider

ways to encourage individuals to save more and spend less if we want them to incur debt

less frequently (Brown et al. 2016).

Make sure individuals move more and eat less sugar and fat if we want them to be

healthy (Warburton, 2006). Finding strategies to encourage students to attend class is

essential if we want to minimize pupil absence (Rogers and Feller 2018). Authorities can

employ some policy tools to alter behavior. These, in a nutshell, include monetary
inducements, prohibitions and requirements, educational initiatives, and, most frequently,

prompts.

Governments have direct chances to encourage behavior change via the use of structural

reforms. Governments should refrain from using the newest behavior modification

"tricks" without widespread endorsement, particularly when they do so in a way that

takes advantage of internal limits and prejudices. Governments must be encouraged to

alter behavior.

Research on government administration illustrate what might occur when this assistance

is missing. For example, O'Leary's (2009) research on guerilla government demonstrates

how public servants who disagree with state activities may undermine public

programmers. Hood (2006) provides a compelling example of how public employees

might "game" the complex system of target-based management of public services and

outlines techniques that can be employed to prevent this. Kuipers et al. (2013) latest

assessment of transformation performance in the banking sector emphasizes the

significance of important stakeholders' support for changes. John (2018) demonstrates

that different behavior change efforts are not backed by citizens and might thus backfire.

His research is more specific to behavior change evidence - based practices. He adds that

using lessons from behavioral science can make policies more successful.

It's frequently important to alter behavior to address societal issues. I emphasized the use

of incentives, prohibitions and mandates, information, and nudges as examples of policy

tools that can promote behavior change. Nevertheless, the administration shouldn't be a

deceiver who uses cutting-edge policy tools without widespread acceptance. When

examining behavior change by administrations, it is hoped that the theoretical paradigm

for successful and supportive behavior change would aid in asking important questions.

We can better understand how to accomplish successful and supportive behavior change

with the aid of new hypothesis testing and more practical and academic cooperation.

Good governance may gradually develop into a "design science" (Barzelay and

Thompson 2010)—a research scientist that aids practice in addressing social problems—

by working with professionals on significant societal issues that require behavior change.

Hope you consider my suggestions

Thank you,

Regards.
References:

Barzelay, M., & Thompson, F. (2010). Back to the Future: Making Public Administration

a Design Science. Public Administration Review, 70, s295–s297.

https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6210.2010.02290.x

Brown, M., Grigsby, J., van der Klaauw, W., Wen, J., & Zafar, B. (2016). Financial

Education and the Debt Behaviour of the Young. Review of Financial Studies,

29(9), 2490–2522. https://doi.org/10.1093/rfs/hhw006

Hood, C. (2006). Gaming in Target world: The Targets Approach to Managing British

Public Services. Public Administration Review, 66(4), 515–521.

https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6210.2006.00612.x

KUIPERS, B. S., HIGGS, M., KICKERT, W., TUMMERS, L., GRANDIA, J., & van der

VOET, J. (2013). THE MANAGEMENT OF CHANGE IN PUBLIC

ORGANIZATIONS: A LITERATURE REVIEW. Public Administration, 92(1),

1–20. https://doi.org/10.1111/padm.12040

O’Leary, R. (2009). Guerrilla Employees: Should Managers Nurture, Tolerate, or

Terminate Them? Public Administration Review, 70(1), 8–19.

https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6210.2009.02104.x

Rogers, T., & Feller, A. (2018). Reducing student absences at scale by targeting parents’

misbeliefs. Nature Human Behaviour, 2(5), 335–342.

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-018-0328-1

Straßheim, H. (2019). John, Peter (2018). How Far to Nudge? Assessing Behavioural

Public Policy. Cheltenham (New Horizons in Public Policy), UK/Northampton,

MA, USA: Edward Elgar. 173 Seiten. ISBN: 9781786430564. Der Moderne Staat
 – Zeitschrift Für Public Policy, Recht Und Management, 12(1–2019), 227–231.

https://doi.org/10.3224/dms.v12i1.16

Teenchallange.ca. (2022). Apply to the Program - Teen Challenge Canada.

https://www.teenchallenge.ca/get-help/apply-to-the-program

Warburton, D. E. (2006). Health benefits of physical activity: the evidence. Canadian

Medical Association Journal, 174(6), 801–809.

https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.051351