Institute for Policy Studies, Johns Hopkins University: Research

I. GENERAL INFORMATION:
The Abell Award in Urban Policy is given annually to the student who authors the most compelling paper on a pressing policy problem facing the City of Baltimore. First place prize is $4,000 and second place is $1,000.

The award is sponsored by the Baltimore-based Abell Foundation and the Johns Hopkins Institute for Policy Studies. The contest is intended to encourage fresh thinking about the challenges facing Baltimore City.

II. ELIGIBILITY:
All full-time students from the following schools are eligible to enter:
Coppin State University
Goucher College
Johns Hopkins University
Loyola College in Maryland
Morgan State University
College of Notre Dame in Maryland
Towson University
University of Baltimore
University of Maryland, Baltimore
UMBC
University of Maryland, College Park
Villa Julie College

III. SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
To facilitate the review and selection process, all entries must adhere to the following guidelines:

Students must complete and return an Entry Form by 4:00 p.m., Friday, October 19, 2007 in order to take part in the competition. Once the Entry Form has been received, it will be reviewed for completeness and suitability. A representative of the Johns Hopkins Institute for Policy Studies will be in contact if the information provided is found to be lacking. Prior to submitting the Entry Form, it is strongly suggested that you review Winning Papers from prior years.

The abstract must be no longer than 250 words and must address the following questions:

1) What issue will your paper address?
2) Why is it important to Baltimore?
3) What is your research approach?

Submission of a well thought-out abstract is a critical step. If your abstract does not adequately answer these questions, you will not be invited to submit a final paper.

My paper will address the issue of arrests made by police that do not result in charges, the policies that encourage high numbers of “quality of life” arrests, and the validity of the theories, such as “Broken Windows,” behind these policies. Baltimore police arrest about 1,800 people each month who are held in the central booking facility for hours or days before being released without charges. The ACLU estimates that over 50% of warrantless arrests in Baltimore result in no charges being filed, or charges being dismissed. The resulting economic, psychological, and physical harm to citizens and their families caught up in these arrests*and the substantial cost to taxpayers to process these arrests*may offset any public safety benefits. My primary research approach will be to review literature and data on the subject of quality of life arrests and the broken windows theory. I will augment this research with arrest data from Baltimore City, and compare this with other cities that have adopted different approaches to community policing.

Papers must be received by 4:00 p.m., Friday, March 7, 2008 and adhere to the formatting detailed below.

LENGTH & FORMAT:
a. Maximum of 25 double-spaced pages,
b. Twelve-point font,
c. One-inch margins,
d. Paginated,
e. Numerical endnotes should be used for citations to references (see example),
f. Superscript letters should be used for explanatory footnotes (see example),
g. The body of the paper should contain no identifying information about the author (see below).
COVER PAGE:
Because this is a blind review, you should include two cover pages:
a. One stating the title of the paper and your identifying information (name, school & department, year in school and degree you are pursuing, address, phone number, and email address); and
b. One stating only the paper’s title, with no identifying information.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Each paper must include an Executive Summary of no more than 500 words that briefly states:
a. the problem studied,
b. key arguments/evidence for its importance,
c. the most important conclusions emerging from the analysis, and
d. the main policy recommendations.
CONTENT:
Every paper must
a. Clearly describe the problem and its significance;
b. Present a thorough and careful analysis of empirical and other evidence;
c. Propose specific policies, programs, or other action steps to redress the issue. (NOTE: Be sure to devote sufficient attention in your paper to policy recommendations. Roughly 20 percent of the paper should focus on what should be done about the problem.)
d. Use of charts, such as tables, graphs, and maps, can be helpful in making arguments more vividly.
e. Proofread the paper multiple times. It is recommended that you have someone other than yourself do a final proofing before you hand in the paper.
f. A reminder: Please do not include any identifying information in the body of the paper.
QUANTITY:
Please submit two copies of your paper.
EXAMPLE OF CITATION FORMAT

IV. SELECTION PROCESS:
The winning papers are selected through a “blind” review by a panel of judges comprising Baltimore policymakers, opinion leaders, and practitioners and IPS faculty. The judges reserve the right not to make an award if none of the contest entries meet the criteria for importance to Baltimore, quality of analysis, and creativity or feasibility of the proposed solution.
Winning entries will be circulated (after revision and with the author’s permission) to relevant city and state policymakers and posted on the IPS and Abell Foundation websites.

V. DEADLINES:
The deadlines for consideration for the 2007 Abell Award in Urban Policy are 4:00 p.m., Friday, October 19, 2007 for the completed Entry Form, 4:00 p.m., Friday, November 16, 2007 for the Abstract and 4:00 p.m., Friday, March 7, 2008 for paper submission.

Submit papers to:
Abell Award in Urban Policy
ATTN: Sandra Newman, Ph.D.
Institute for Policy Studies
Johns Hopkins University
3400 North Charles Street
Baltimore, MD 21218

VI. QUESTIONS:
Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact the contest organizers before drafting their paper to discuss their topic and answer any questions regarding content and format. You may also visit our FAQ page for additional information.

VII. CONTACT:
The Johns Hopkins Institute for Policy Studies is managing this competition. Therefore, all inquiries and questions should be sent via email to abellaward@jhu.edu. Please do not contact the Abell Foundation for additional information.