Politicians and their teams prepare speeches for public events, such as electoral campaigns, interviews (on
TV, in the newspapers, radio…) or prepare campaign ads to disseminate his policies or plans for cities, States
or the EU.
Imagine you have to prepare a speech, an interview, or a political campaign that explains the policy of a
member of the European Parliament (MEP). Using information on her/his political party (both national and
European) and representing country and region, write an essay on ONE policy (migration, fiscal policy, CAP,
trade policies, labour market policies…)
You will have to present your politician's view from an economic perspective. That is, you will have to use
economic concepts and/or models to explain the position on the issue you have chosen. You are expected to
do your own research on the politician, political party, country/region, as well as on the policies under
discussion.
Finally, you will have to give a short statement (around 300 words) to convince citizens (a broad an nonacademic audience) that the position of your politician regarding the issue of your choice is the most beneficial
for them. No lies allowed.
Structure
Brief summary of your politician views and political career, including activity in the European Parliament.
Motivation/Introduction for the topic chosen (migration, CAP, fiscal policy,…).
Development of economic arguments to explain the position of your politician.
Short speech (300 words) to a broad non-academic audience to convince citizens that the position of your
politician is the best one for them.
Note: In specific cases the structure could be modified, but still you should cover information related to points
1-4. For example, if you decide to write an interview, the structure is mostly about questions and answers but
still you should cover the politician's background, introduce a specific policy and go through an analysis of your
politician's view.
Marking criteria
Were the introductions for your politician and the topic of your choice well motivated?
Was your argument logically developed and coherent?
Is your argument well grounded in economic theories/models?
Have you addressed the question being asked? That is, have you answered it in a direct, succinct way without
including unnecessary or irrelevant information?
Is your writing persuasive? Is your statement to a broad audience convincing?
Note: if you decide that you are preparing a campaign ad, point 4 can be changed to a description of the campaign with a specific slogan.
Sample Solution