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About the class
The Ballard Brief provides high-quality research to inform the world about the complexities of current global issues. Ballard Briefs are written by undergraduate and graduate students and are edited by a highly-trained editorial team. Briefs explore an issue’s context, contributing factors, consequences, and practices, in order to create a holistic view of complex challenges facing people around the world.
Each Brief is researched and analyzed through a myriad of academic and investigative lenses before publication. Our research focuses on the issue’s political implications, macro or micro perspectives, historical significance, and cyclical nature. Our Ballard Briefs act as an accessible starting point for readers to understand the nuances of each social problem that is presented in the library. We believe that effectively solving social problems begins with understanding them.
Our Approach
Context
This section provides the basics of the social issue and answers fundamental questions: what the social problem is, who is most affected by the problem, and how widespread the issue is. It also provides necessary information on the issue’s history, notable trends, common questions, and misconceptions about the topic. This Context section gives readers a good foundation for what to expect from reading the Brief.
Contributing Factors
Just as a tree’s roots anchor it in place, social problems are deeply rooted in various factors that contribute to the problem. The Contributing Factors section provides information on what “roots” are feeding into a social issue, providing a multidimensional view of the issue. It is important to have a good understanding of a social issue’s contributing factors to avoid pursuing strategies that only address an issue’s consequences.
Consequences
This section outlines specific and direct consequences of the given social issue. A single social issue can have several individual and widespread consequences: legal, economic, social, emotional, environmental, and others. Ballard Briefs examine several direct consequences in order of importance and prevalence. This section allows readers to not only learn about the effects of a social issue but also which consequences to target in their efforts to alleviate the issue.
Practices
This section highlights what is already being done about the social issue. The Practices section provides insights on what types of interventions have been successful and unsuccessful. These interventions may include government interventions, broad practices, or specific organizations. This section may also provide insights into the effectiveness of efforts and organizations.