Analyzing Garret Harding’s Article Essay Example for Free

Analyzing Garret Harding’s Article Essay This paper seeks to analyze the article â€Å"The Tragedy of the Commons† by Hardin (1968). The first part summarizes the main thesis by identifying the principle or principles that Hardin used to explain the Tragedy as he defines it. The second part describes how Hardin’s thesis would apply to production of smog pollutants in California. 2. Summary and Application 2. 1. Summary The paper article talks about the tragedy of the commons which has contradicted the â€Å"invisible hand† that was described by Adam Smith that would managed things for people by just allowing man’s selfishness to keep on profiting without realizing that the same could be helping people in the process. The tragedy of the commons is therefore preventing the operation of the market or certain individuals from fully attaining what is good for these individuals because of the inevitable overpopulation. However the author has also acknowledged ways or factors under which the tragedy of commons could be neutralized such the existence of private property in support of that man’s selfishness in accordance with Smith’s theory. He also mentioned other factors that may have either supported to weaken the tragedy of commons. He therefore still sees a solution to the tragedy, which is the relinquishment of freedom to breed by the commons. Such can be done by some intervention of those who have the power like the state. The thesis of the Hardin (1968) further asserts that the problem on overpopulation has no technical solution for there is nothing to maximize. He noted the fact the people are concerned about the problem of overpopulation and that the same people would try the ways to avoid the evils of such situation but without giving up the pleasure that they have now. The author asserted the fact the people would want to make everything possible where plans could be growing or developing any source of food that will solve the problem caused by the overpopulation. Hardin asserted about the absence of technical solution to the problem as in winning the game of tick-tack-toe. He concluded that the simplest summary of the analysis of man’s problem in population is that the commons could justify their existence only under conditions of low-population density. Thus he argued that given the fact the population has increased, these commons have to be abandoned in one aspect. According to Hardin, the first way to abandon them can be done food gathering, enclosing farm land, restricting pastures and in hunting and fishing areas. He also saw the commons as a place for waste disposal that would justify their abandonment. Since the author also values human freedom preservation, it was his position that to preserve and nurture the more important kinds of freedom, the solution is to give up the freedom to breed from these commons as soon as possible. 2. 2 Application to the Production of Smog Pollutants in California This part of the paper will define â€Å"Commons† in the case of the smog pollutants in California as those people that may be part of the creating the problems of smog pollution in California, who may or may not be aware of the solution or cause of the problem. Individuals or non-commons may be those that are not part of the common which could be exemplified by the group described by Hardin which espouses the relinquishment of freedom to breed in order to arrest the tragedy of overpopulation caused and who believes that there are no technical solutions to problem. Since the case of pollution is related to overpopulation which according to Hardin has caused the problem, the non-commons extends their argument in this part that opt to give up still the freedom to breed for commons. This part describes also the problem in terms of the different view from the commons, the non-commons or individual In terms of the commons, the problem of smog Production is a problem that could be technologically solved. Hence these commons would argue for the need for the production of cars that would be equipment of the capability of reduced or smog pollutants (Vannijnatten and Lambright, 2001; Dooley, 2002)). This could be evident in the case of what is being required now of new cars from California. Newer cars starting with 2009 model will be required to have label that contains a level as to tier ranks in terms of environmental impact. The information is designed to provide consumers with the practical information that could contribute to their being responsible decision makers in the use of environment friendly vehicles while satisfying or meeting the needs of these people to move around (Environment News Service, 2009). The label used for environmental performance will include a scale of 1-10 for global warming scores and smog score. The higher score on both scales will show that the car is more environment friendly car. With average normal score of 5 on both scales, the values of the decision makers will also show how they will value the environment will also be reflective of scores recorded (Environment News Service, 2009). Electric cars are noted to earn higher ratings than non-electric cars on both score thereby indicating the role of technology (Environment News Service, 2009). This would provide a strong argument against that of Hardin (1968) that there is no technical solution to the problem. It could be argued that electric cars evolved from gasoline cars and therefore consumers may be deemed to have become more responsible to the environment. In terms of the individual interests, as espoused by Garrett Hardin (1968), the solution is non-technical that one can never minimized or maximized that point where there could acceptable smog pollutant level. From this view, the problem comes from the commons in the case of production of smog pollutants and not from non-commons which do not see themselves as part of the problem. Hardin’s viewed that there are indeed people causing smog pollutants in California which may not be prevented from having better cars due to the bias that there is no technical solution to the problem. The solution could not be found therefore under the principle developed as viewed by commons that more efficient cars could be produced but rather in stopping the freedom to breed commons which will prevent the problem created in the production of smog pollutant in California. Hardin under his own view would rather therefore go for stopping the breeding of the commons who keep on violating the rights of individuals because of the enclosures or certain advantages or favors given to these commons. The solution could include calling for government actions to deny seeming shout for more rights and liberties by the commons. In the article on Tragedy of the commons, Hardin (2008) also attacked the fact that every favor given to the commons is a deprivation of somebody’s personal liberty. He argued that while infringements made in the past could be accepted by him and the believers of his cause, he could only now see the abuse of infringement made because of the cries for rights and freedom are made by commons. He saw the benefits given to the commons are a way of robbing against the non-commons. He further saw only universal ruin if the logic of the commons would continue to be upheld. For this purpose the author saw only the need for true freedom that is based on recognition of necessity. If this principle is applied to the smog pollutants in California, Hardin would see hopeless of having smog free cars and that the cost of regulation for smog free cars could only be caused by the commons. If Hardin’s position is to be sustained, this would amount to prohibiting rather the commons to not having cars any more by government actions since these non-commons would not want to share life with the commons who will eventually cause overpopulation. Hardin (1968) also argued in the article that the most important aspect of necessity is the present need to recognize the necessity of abandoning the commons in breeding. Since he saw the absence of technical solution to the problem the misery of overpopulation would necessarily come along with all related evils. He posited that freedom to breed will bring ruin to all. In effect, Hardin would want to address still the issue of overpopulation since all the issue of pollution according to him is also cause by population. In terms of collective interest, people need to co-exist together whether commons or non-commons because they only live in one land surface the earth which provides life for everybody. The right of co-existence happens because the ethical theory of social justice demands that one must practice what is just and fair to everybody concerned. To have peaceful-coexistence, there must be an intention of each of the commons or the individuals to sacrifice some of their rights for the survival of both. The resulting conflict, if not solved, will put humans into a level of what is contentious as instinctively, the instinct for survival is as old as life itself (Fikes, 2001). Each person whether common or non-common has rights and obligations to discharge if each is to live together harmoniously. While it is true that smog production would be dangerous to the environment and the common may occupy a bigger share in the total number of the population, it could be easily accepted that they could be wipe out on earth so that only the non-common shall live. To determine whether indeed a technical solution is possible, there is a need to understand the nature of smog which is a kind of air pollution caused them the petrochemical reaction of sunlight with volatile organic compounds and oxides of nitrogen when released into the atmosphere. The same is therefore normally observed in automobile operation. To attain smog free objective, California used smog score by ranking each vehicles pollutant’s levels in terms of non-methane organic gases and oxides of nitrogen in relation to other vehicles within the current model year. Within the scale of 1 to 10, the California scale assigns 10 to be the cleanest while the average score 5 (Environment News Service, 2009). This could therefore testify to the creation of technical solutions that would solve the problem of smog production in California. This again will provide strong argument against the position taken by the Hardin (1968) on the absence of technical solution. Another proof of this evolution in technology is in the light of the belief that car model before 2006 would fall below the smog score of one. An action for more stringent standards must be viewed as a way of creating solution that would satisfy the collective interest of both commons and non-commons. The fact of smog inspection involves knowing whether Hydrocarbons, Nitrous Oxides or Carbon Monoxides (SmogTips, Inc, 2009) are present since these chemicals are identified for the production of smog. The fact the human knowledge has identified these chemicals from a long list of other known chemicals must speak further as evidence of technical solution to the problem of pollution. 3. Conclusion This paper concludes that the thesis of Hardin (1968) on lack of technical solution to the problem of smog pollutants in California is not rue. This paper has found moves in California to control the production of smog pollutants. The thesis may have raised some points that consider in effect the tragedy caused by the commons where the author has even attacked the theory of universal human rights. The view of the author is in favor individualist orientation and subscribes to the ideal of selfish genes. However, as society has evolved, the individualists have lived together with the commons for centuries and although the position of Hardin may be logical at some points, this paper takes exception to the assertion that there is no technical solution to problems. There is a solution because humanity is forever looking for ways to solve its problems whether the scientist may come from commons or not. References: Dooley, E. (2002) Fifty Years Later: Clearing the Air over the London Smog; Environmental Health Perspectives, Vol. 110 Environment News Service (2009) New California Cars Display Smog, Global Warming Scores, {www document} URL, http://www. ens-newswire. com/ens/jan2009/2009-01-02-092. asp, Accessed January 29, 2009 Fikes, T. (2001) Evolutionary Psychology as Computational Theory in the Cognitive Sciences; Journal of Psychology and Theology, Vol. 29 Hardin, Garrett (1968) â€Å"The Tragedy of the Commons†, {www document} URL http://www. sciencemag. org/cgi/content/full/162/3859/1243, Accessed January 29, 2009 SmogTips, Inc (2009) How to pass the California emissions test. 3-Part Test. , {www document} URL http://www. smogtips. com/passing_inspection. cfm, Accessed January 29, 2009 Vannijnatten and Lambright (2001); North American Smog: Science-Policy Linkages across Multiple Boundaries Canadian-American Public Policy

Over-spending and under-spending of the public sector budget

Over-spending and under-spending of the public sector budget The over-spending and under-spending of a budget is the positive or negative variance between what was actually spent and what was budgeted. Overspending Budgets overruns are the underestimation of costs and time or by the nonconformity of budget managers with the spending maximum defined in the budget, when projected. There are several explanations for overspending. Sometimes, it is simply bad forecasting on part of the budget manager. There was incomplete information or poor forecasting methods that led to an underestimation and/or unreal optimism of costs, expenses and revenues. Often there is change in scope of the project and costs associated with scope change are neither captured nor covered in the risk mitigation or contingency plan. Funds are allocated to the cost centers for spending, it is controlled. Overspent fund accumulate in arrears. Overruns could also be a result of off-budget spending which not considered part of the budget and is not included in budget totals. Off budget spending is often for political reasons. For example, after a request from President Reagan, Congress placed strategic petroleum reserve spending off-budget in 1982. Instead of using other means to control the deficit raising revenues or cutting spending placing this program off-budget gave the appearance of a smaller deficit, even though the government still needed to finance this spending. Source: Office of Management and Budget, Budget of the United States Government, Historical Tables and Mid-session Review, FY2006. Sometimes the expenditure processes are complicated and difficult. To circumvent this process exceptional procedures are development to speed to the process to release the funds. These exceptional procedures are tolerated by the treasury for politically sensitive expenditures. The procedures are frequently abused and should be discouraged. These procedures are used my officials to order supplies without making a formal request and much later the year un-forecasted invoices appear. Sometime fund are unavailable to make this invoices which leads to generation of arrears for the following year. The compounding of exceptional procedures also has long-term implications, incentivizing spending agencies to go outside the budget system to avoid control altogether. Such procedures are associated with or result in corruption. Often past experiences can lead to overspending. If a department head under spent the previous year and the budget for the following year was lost. The department is highly likely to spend the entire amount for the fear of losing funds for the next year. The way in which performance is reported can have a significant effect on the camaraderie and coordination between departments. If participation of the managers implementing the budget was absent, then managers can blame this for the file to abide by the budget. In addition impact of inflation and a sense of entitlement towards certain funds are also factors to be considered in budget planning. Overruns can be caused by such deficiencies in budget preparation. Under spending Many governments do not spend their full annual budget. The reasons for this under spending can be various and can result in many outcomes. Lack of timely spending or under spending can affect the citizens not receiving essential government services. Certain areas have more economic impacts such as jobs created through the timely initiation of new infrastructure project. Under spending can often obstruct resources from other departments/managers which/who are spending their budget more productively, preventing them to reach their complete potential of success in delivery of the intended service. Under spending in particular year frequently leads to rollovers and modifications in the subsequent years. These modifications are irregular and are cumbersome to be forecasted leaving the department ill-equipped to spend these rollovers. Factors that result in under spending include insufficiencies in budget preparation and project/program planning, unrealistic projections of revenues, poor governance and off-budget spending. Virement is another factor that fuels under spending: It is the transfer of funds from one budget head to another. To achieve efficiency or prevent the need for a supplementary estimate as an under spending from one head may be transferred to another head which has overspending. One problem with unrestricted virement is that managers would inevitably spend al their budget allocation for fear of a budget reduction in the subsequent year. Example: Within the ministry of education budgets are transferred from primary education to higher education it can result in the delay of programs starting in the K-12 grades. Example: The latest un-audited expenditure reports from the National Treasury indicate that R3.48 billion of the national government budget went unspent in 2000/01 financial year- about R1.7billion on both the recurrent and the capital side of the budget. The under spend in provincial government was far greater at R5.5 billion. The latest available data indicate that this picture has not changed significantly in 2001/02. Although the government is moving in the right direction, most initiatives to address under spending appear rather general and details have yet to emerge on how the Treasury will specifically tackle the problem. In the meantime, under-spending seems set to remain with us. Source: Government under spending remains a problem February 2002 By Marritt Claassens and Paul Whelan, Budget Information Service, Idasa, http://www.idasa.org.za/bis/ Different kinds of variances A variance is the difference between a budgeted, planned or standard amount and the actual amount. Variances can be divided according to their nature of the underlying amounts and is determined by the needs of users of the variance information. These include : Variable cost variances Direct material variance Price variance: is the difference between the standard cost and the actual cost for the actual quantity of material used or purchased. Usage Variance: is the difference between the standard quantity of materials that should have been used for the number of units actually produced, and the actual quantity of materials used, valued at the standard cost per unit of material. Direct labour variance Rate Variance is the difference between the standard cost and the actual cost paid for the actual number of hours. Efficiency variance is the difference between the standard labour hour that should have been worked for the actual number of units produced and the actual number of hours worked when the labour hours are valued at the standard rate. Overhead variances Fixed overhead variances: identifies what proportion of the total fixed overhead variance is due to actual fixed overhead being different from the budgeted fixed overhead. Variable overhead variance measures the change between actual expenditure and the allowed overhead for actual labour hours. Income variance is the difference between actual income and budget income. It is used to measure the performance of a income function, and/or analyze business results to better understand market conditions. Actual income can differ from budgeted income either due to the variance in volume sold or the variance in the price point of the budgeted price point. Best Practices The following are some key good practice for prevention and minimization of the variances: Broad goals should be established to guide government decision making. Budgeting methods are developed to achieve these goals. An appropriate budget is developed to achieve the goals and the performance criterion is determined at the beginning. Close interaction between the financial information system and the budgeting systems is essential. There should be a control on collective spending and any deficit, a overarching prioritization of strategies with regards to expenditures and better use of the budgeted resources. The approved budget should be entered into the financial information system. In addition to a full commitment system, memorandum notes should be included the system that capture records of commitment but does not amend the financial records. Timely comparative financial statements on a regular basis. These statements should include original and revised budget, capture variances and explain major variances. The audited and reliable statements are based in solid accounting standards with regular external reporting. Budget Monitoring: Monitoring and controlling consists of those processes are performed to observe that potential problems can be identified in a timely manner and corrective action can be taken, when necessary. The key benefit is that the actuals are observed and measured regularly to identify variances from the budget. During the course of the year, instance may arise where the income or expenditure is very large that may require and supplementary estimate. The better the level of control and intelligence available the earlier this situations can be detected and more swiftly and appropriate an action can be taken to minimize the variance. However if is determined there has to be a change then the financial information systems can be updated as soon as possible. If a department become aware that it will overspend at any time during the year it must notify the Treasury department immediately. It is possible that a supplement estimate is provided if deemed appropriate. Transparency is key publish the State accounting policies, establish system of internal controls, and keep doors open for public and parliamentary scrutiny. Flexible budgeting is a performance evaluation tool. It is not be prepared before the end of the fiscal period. A flexible budget adjusts the initial budget for the actual level of output. The flexible budget answers the question: If the department had known at the beginning of the period what would the output volume (units delivered or sold) would be, what the budget would have looked like? If the department actually delivered X units, then treasury should compare actual delivery costs for X units to what it should have spent to make X units, not to what the department should have spent to deliver X-1000 units or X+1000 units etc. The flexible budget provides a better opportunity for planning and controlling than does a static (initial) budget.

College Admissions Essay: Why is Nothing Fascinating :: College Admissions Essays

I find the world a fascinating place, and I want to better understand many of its different facets. Something I continually ponder upon, though, is "nothing." The idea of "nothing," of not anything, completely enthralls me. In fact, I've chosen the topic for my Senior Project. In the counting sense, zero represents nothing. If there could be two, or five, or any number, but there are none, there are zero. Yet, on a complete number line, zero is something. Zero has a dot on the line just like all the other numbers. Last month, I had a discussion with my math teacher about the true mathematical representation of "nothing," the empty set, a numerical set without numbers, equations, variables, or anything at all in it. In strictly a numbers sense, I can fully grasp the concept. However, in a general sense I simply cannot fathom the idea of "not anything." I'm still baffled by something I read in a book as a child (I can't recall which one). In the book, nothingness was presented as the foundation of our universe. The author asked what else could possibly remain beyond the smallest of the small. It seems nothing else could. College Admissions Essay: Why is Nothing Fascinating :: College Admissions Essays I find the world a fascinating place, and I want to better understand many of its different facets. Something I continually ponder upon, though, is "nothing." The idea of "nothing," of not anything, completely enthralls me. In fact, I've chosen the topic for my Senior Project. In the counting sense, zero represents nothing. If there could be two, or five, or any number, but there are none, there are zero. Yet, on a complete number line, zero is something. Zero has a dot on the line just like all the other numbers. Last month, I had a discussion with my math teacher about the true mathematical representation of "nothing," the empty set, a numerical set without numbers, equations, variables, or anything at all in it. In strictly a numbers sense, I can fully grasp the concept. However, in a general sense I simply cannot fathom the idea of "not anything." I'm still baffled by something I read in a book as a child (I can't recall which one). In the book, nothingness was presented as the foundation of our universe. The author asked what else could possibly remain beyond the smallest of the small. It seems nothing else could.

Alert, Alerter, Alertest :: September 11 Terrorism Essays

Alert, Alerter, Alertest "Our military at home and around the world is on high alert status and we have taken the necessary security precautions to continue the functions of your government." President George W. Bush, September 11, 2001 As an American, I am on a state of high alert much of the time. I tend to be alert to inequities, discrimination, intolerance, injustice, restriction of liberty. "Give me liberty or give me death," was Patrick Henry's cry. "Live Free or Die" is New Hampshire's motto. I am alert to affronts to democracy. My American nervous system is on alert, like a smoke detector, to tell me of dangers and threats. I have American sensors, receptors, antennae. They are set to pick up any trace of insults and injuries to the American way of life. We Americans have a sensitivity to mistreatment of people, to bias, prejudice, abridgements of democratic principles. We've got 10 of them in our secular form of the Ten Commandments of Moses. But more than this bill of particulars, our Bill of Rights, we have additional rights. They include the Declaration of Independence's "inalienable rights"--life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. They probably include Franklin D. Roosevelt's Four Freedoms- "The first is freedom of speech and expression -- everywhere in the world. "The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way -- everywhere in the world. "The third is freedom from want -- which, translated into world terms, means economic understandings which will secure to every nation a healthy peacetime life for its inhabitants -- everywhere in the world. "The fourth is freedom from fear -- which, translated into world terms, means a world-wide reduction of armaments to such a point and in such a thorough fashion that no nation will be in a position to commit an act of physical aggression against any neighbor--anywhere in the world." (Jan. 6, 1941) In addition to such explicit statements, we are concerned about other rights that are implicit. And we are alert to them as well. Social conscience is one form of our patriotism. A patriot of democracy believes in disagreement, in unpopular ideas, thoughts, and opinions. What is unpatriotic is mob behavior, complacency, conformity, when everyone does the same thing.

Slavery In Illinois Essays -- Slavery Essays

Slavery in Illinois This essay talks about the dated events that happened in Illinois, focusing on slavery, from the time it begun, whether it should be implemented or not, its abolishment, and up to the time it ended. The paper also contains a well-opinionated reaction about slavery, how it is different from today. The Civil War Period has always been the primary hub of teaching in any American History classes. The era between the American Revolution and the Civil War was of a great importance since it has been the best and worst part of the western civilization during those times. The limelight was theirs when we turn back the pages of history. Consequently, slavery as an economic system and as a moral disgrace is one of the very most scandalous trend after the coming of the war. Prominent people had actual arguments about whether they are either pro-slavery or abolitionist, thus making the system even worse. Colonization to constraint of slavery on its natural eventual downfall is not merely the case now. Today, normal people have the same opinion about the moral repugnancy of slavery, and are left with a more complex idea about why many people supported the institution of slavery and why it was so difficult to eliminate that "peculiar institution." The first Africans landed in Jamestown, in Virginia in the year 1619. Having them appeared as an indentured servants, there was an institution that allows the black for hereditary lifetime service. From there, transportation of slaves from Africa to the West Indies became rampant. During this time, there were no rules applied for the slaves. The only rule is that restricting all the rights of the servants. (Davis, 79) Because of the ongoing scenario, the British America recog... ...is the historical fact." Up to this date, people still depend on slaves. It might not be as harsh or as controversial as before, but still there were distinctive similarities that should be considering each one as a racist. The Black people or the Africans still carry the brand name that they were once a slave. Even so, one should not be able to acquire such idea since people of today are quite more rational and open than before. †¢ Ekberg, Carl J., Stealing Indian Women: Native Slavery in the Illinois Country, University of Illinois Press 2007 †¢ Dunne, Edward F., Illinois: The Heart of the Nation, 1933 †¢ Dirst, T. Illinois During the Civil War, http://dig.lib.niu.edu/civilwar/teachers/afam1.html; Digitization Project 2005 †¢ Dexter, D. Slavery In Illinois: How and Why the Underground Railroad Existed http://www.freedomtrails2legacies.org/slavery.htm; 2004

Realism and Liberalism Essay

Realism and Liberalism are two major and dominant theories in global politics. They both have contrasting ideas when dealing with how states should relate to each other. Realism is a conservative and pessimistic theory which states predicts and will act on their national interest regardless of morals. This belief results from people who are selfish and competitive. Realism is a perspective that is dominated by cynicism. Realists place each state in the position of closely observing the actions of their neighbors to resolve problems effectively without regarding moral concerns. Realists only want to maintain their own security. They always want enough power so they can be strong enough to withstand attacks. They believe that the international system is inherently anarchical and cannot really be made peaceful except through power. Realists also do not believe in democratization. Realists also believe that countries will pursue power regardless of being democratic. They believe countrie s will fight for their interests even if they and their opponents are both democracies. Realists claim that only powerful states are true and key actors in international politics. Liberalism is progressive and optimistic. They emphasize that the broad ties among states have both made it difficult to define national interest and decreased the usefulness of military power. Liberals believe that the international system can be manipulated to make peace. Liberals believe in organization like the United Nations. They believe that institutions like that allow various countries to interact in a variety of ways and will lead to less conflict between countries. They also believe in democratizations. They believe that democratic countries will not fight one another. They also believe in non-state actors and their importance. They tend to pay attention to individual leaders and also they give way to non-governmental organizations. Liberals believe military power is not the only form of power. Economic and social power matter a great deal too. Exercising economic power has proven more effective than exercising military power. These theories remind me of a documentary that I watched about Kofi Annan and the theory that he valued. I believe that there is a difference between force and diplomacy. After watching the documentary, I came to a conclusion based on the lectures that Kofi Annan is a liberal. I’m saying this because in the documentary, he states that he speaks for the poor, weak and the voiceless. He explains that he does not have power or any military resources. I also understand that, his influence is based on persuasion and morals but not because he’s the Secretary General. Discussing the September 11th disaster (after), he made it very clear that the United Nations interference was not to side with one team but to create unity amongst all nations. Thus, this eradicates the realist point of view. He stated that the security of every nation was one of the United Nations goals. I think that no other organization can take this job since it’s a very difficult task and it needs a fair and firm leader who will not be bias, or work because of a personal interest. In the documentary, an example on Sesame Street was used to demonstrate how to instill peace amongst individuals, which explained further that its not always about talking or persuasion but it’s the understanding and love that is expressed for one another. From both theories I think it depends on what the person values the most. It’s either their self-interest or the interest of all. For example, Kofi Annan’s documentary made me understand. Bibliography Kofi Annan â€Å" Center of the Storm† PBS

Purdue Owl

Engagement Welcome to the Purdue OWL This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue (http://owl. english. purdue. edu/). When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice at bottom. Contributors:Elyssa Tardiff, Allen Brizee. Summary: This resource describes why outlines are useful, what types of outlines exist, suggestions for developing effective outlines, and how outlines can be used as an invention strategy for writing. Four Main Components for Effective Outlines Ideally, you should follow these four suggestions to create an effective outline.The examples are taken from the Sample Outline handout. Parallelism – How do I accomplish this? Each heading and subheading should preserve parallel structure. If the first heading is a verb, the second heading should be a verb. Example: 1. Choose Desired Colleges 2. Prepare Application (â€Å"Choose† and â€Å"Prepare† are both verbs. The present tense of the verb is usually the preferred form for an ou tline) Coordination – How do I accomplish this? All the information contained in Heading 1 should have the same significance as the information contained in Heading 2.The same goes for the subheadings (which should be less significant than the headings). Example: 1. Visit and evaluate college campuses 2. Visit and evaluate college websites 1. Note important statistics 2. Look for interesting classes (Campus and websites visits are equally significant. They are part of the main tasks you would owl. english. purdue. edu/owl/owlprint/544/ 1/4 29/10/2010 Purdue OWL Engagement need to do. Finding statistics and classes found on college websites are parts of the process involved in carrying out the main heading topics. )Subordination – How do I accomplish this? The information in the headings should be more general, while the information in the subheadings should be more specific. Example: 1. Describe an influential person in your life 1. Favorite high school teacher 2. Gran dparent (A favorite teacher and grandparent are specific examples from the generalized category of influential people in your life. ) Division – How do I accomplish this? Each heading should be divided into 2 or more parts. Example: 1. Compile resume 1. List relevant coursework 2. List work experience 3.List volunteer experience (The heading â€Å"Compile resume† is divided into 3 parts. ) Technically, there is no limit to the number of subdivisions for your headings; however, if you seem to have a lot, it may be useful to see if some of the parts can be combined. Contributors:Elyssa Tardiff, Allen Brizee. Summary: This resource describes why outlines are useful, what types of outlines exist, suggestions for developing effective outlines, and how outlines can be used as an invention strategy for writing. Why and How to Create a Useful Outline Why create an outline?There are many reasons; but in general, it may be helpful to create an outline when you want to show the h ierarchical relationship or logical ordering of information. For research papers, an outline may help you keep track of large amounts of information. For creative writing, an outline may help organize the various plot threads and help keep track of character traits. Many people find that organizing an oral report or presentation in outline form helps them speak more effectively in front of a crowd. Below are the primary reasons for creating an outline. Aids in the process of writing owl. english. purdue. du/owl/owlprint/544/ 2/4 29/10/2010 Purdue OWL Engagement Helps you organize your ideas Presents your material in a logical form Shows the relationships among ideas in your writing Constructs an ordered overview of your writing Defines boundaries and groups How do I create an outline? Determine the purpose of your paper. Determine the audience you are writing for. Develop the thesis of your paper. Then: Brainstorm: List all the ideas that you want to include in your paper. Organize: Group related ideas together. Order: Arrange material in subsections from general to specific or from abstract to concrete.Label: Create main and sub headings. Remember: creating an outline before writing your paper will make organizing your thoughts a lot easier. Whether you follow the suggested guidelines is up to you, but making any kind of outline (even just some jotting down some main ideas) will be beneficial to your writing process. Contributors:Elyssa Tardiff, Allen Brizee. Summary: This resource describes why outlines are useful, what types of outlines exist, suggestions for developing effective outlines, and how outlines can be used as an invention strategy for writing. Types of Outlines and Samples Alphanumeric OutlinesThis is the most common type of outline and usually instantly recognizable to most people. The formatting follows these characters, in this order: Roman Numerals Capitalized Letters Arabic Numerals Lowercase Letters If the outline needs to subdivide beyond these divisions, use Arabic numerals inside parentheses and then lowercase letters inside parentheses. Select the â€Å"Sample Outlines† PDF in the Media Box above to download the sample of this outline. The sample PDF in the Media Box above is an example of an outline that a student might create owl. english. purdue. edu/owl/owlprint/544/ 3/4 29/10/2010 Purdue OWL Engagement efore writing an essay. In order to organize her thoughts and make sure that she has not forgotten any key points that she wants to address, she creates the outline as a framework for her essay. What is the assignment? Your instructor asks the class to write an expository (explanatory) essay on the typical steps a high school student would follow in order to apply to college. What is the purpose of this essay? To explain the process for applying to college Who is the intended audience for this essay? High school students intending to apply to college and their parents What is the essay's thesis statemen t?When applying to college, a student follows a certain process which includes choosing the right schools and preparing the application materials. Full Sentence Outlines The full sentence outline format is essentially the same as the Alphanumeric outline. The main difference (as the title suggests) is that full sentences are required at each level of the outline. This outline is most often used when preparing a traditional essay. Select the â€Å"Sample Outlines† PDF in the Media Box above to download the sample of this outline. Decimal Outlines The decimal outline is similar in format to the alphanumeric outline.The added benefit is a system of decimal notation that clearly shows how every level of the outline relates to the larger whole. Select the â€Å"Sample Outlines† PDF in the Media Box above to download the sample of this outline. Copyright  ©1995-2010 by The Writing Lab ; The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use. Please report any technical problems you encounter. owl. english. purdue. edu/owl/owlprint/544/ 4/4