Ethics and Values in Public Policy

Mark Carl Rom Welcome to the most important class in the GPPI

Mark Carl Rom Case Jack and Sally are siblings, in their mid-20s. They love each other, and decide to have sex. They each use birth control. They both conclude it was a good experience. (Adapted from The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt)

Mark Carl Rom Questions (A=Yes, B= No) Were they wrong to do this? Why? Should incest among consenting adults be legal? Why? Should incestuous marriages be legal?  Between siblings?  Between parent and adult child?  If no children are created? Should they be punished? How?

Mark Carl Rom Big Policy Questions Who should get what kind of medical care, and how should they get it? What rules should we have for marriage, childbearing, and divorce? How should children be educated? What are our responsibilities for the environment and future generations? Should the US provide more foreign aid? Should it seek to promote democracy?

Mark Carl Rom Big “Values” Questions Are these policy questions empirical matters? Are there any fully correct answers to these questions? Are all answers equally good? How can we decide what to do for each question?

Mark Carl Rom Big “Values” Questions Is each method of deciding equally good? Should policy analysts attempt to get involved in these matters? Do policy analysts have anything to say about these issues?

Mark Carl Rom But First: What is ‘Ethics’ The study of the general nature of morals and of the specific moral choices to be made by a person The rules or standards governing the conduct of a person or the members of a profession Ethics are how we behave in politics Examples: honesty, integrity, empathy

Mark Carl Rom Second: What are ‘Values’? A principle, standard, or quality considered worthwhile or desirable Values are what we want to achieve Examples: liberty, equity, security, efficiency, justice

Ethics and Values in Public Policy Ethics  May or may not lead to professional gain  May lead to personal well-being Values  Essential to policy success Mark Carl Rom

Are these Policy Questions Empirical Matters? No:  Empirical matters “are capable of being verified or disproved by observation or experiment”  Policy questions are inherently political matters  Political matters inherently involve ethics and values

Mark Carl Rom Are there any Fully Correct Answers to these Policy Questions? Yes:  God  Tradition  Science No:  Impossible to demonstrate  Competition across and within

Mark Carl Rom Are All Answers Equally Good? Yes:  As we cannot demonstrate the truth, all ‘truths’ are equal (mere ‘preferences’) No:  Answers are better or worse based on ‘good reasons’

Mark Carl Rom What are ‘Good Reasons’? Involve argument and analysis:  “We should ban smoking because it harms non-smokers” Criteria:  Public importance  Logically connected  Consistent with evidence Normative and Empirical  Is the action right or wrong?  Does the action cause benefit or harm?  But (for this class) not (in general) legal or constitutional arguments!

Mark Carl Rom Goals To understand the roles of ethics and values in public policy process  Understanding of others  Self-reflection To appreciate that value conflicts and ethical dilemmas are central to public policy To make better policy recommendations and more sensible decisions…

Mark Carl Rom Skills Speaking  Debates (5 minutes for each side)  Final presentations Writing  Four memos (750 words each)  Two policy briefs (750 words each) Analysis  Reading  Reflection  Discussion  Blogs

Mark Carl Rom Evaluations? Speaking (30 percent)  Debate (15 percent)  Final presentation (15 percent) Writing (50 percent)  Policy memos (10 percent each)  Policy briefs (10 percent) Participation (20 percent)  Blogs, peer evaluations, engagement

Mark Carl Rom What are ‘Good Reasons’? Involve argument and rationale:  “We should ban smoking because it harms non-smokers” Criteria:  Public importance  Logically connected  Consistent with evidence Normative and Empirical  Is the action right or wrong?  Does the action cause benefit or harm?  But (for this class) not (in general) legal or constitutional arguments!

Mark Carl Rom Example: Abortions Extreme positions are not strong?  Based on a single value Ignore competing values Ignore values of others Positions that respect multiple values are stronger  Abortion is morally problematic  Abortion is never ideal  Abortion should be permitted in some circumstances  The exact circumstances are subject to debate

Mark Carl Rom Example: Abortion Should women be allowed to obtain abortions? No!  God holds that abortion is immoral What does God think? What about those who believe in other Gods? Or none?  Killing a person is wrong (abortion = killing) Is killing a person ALWAYS wrong? Are there circumstances where killing might be permissible? What are these circumstances? Do these circumstances ever exist for pregnant women?

Mark Carl Rom Abortion Should women be allowed to obtain abortions? No!  Abortions harm women Evidence? Countervailing harms?  Persons must be held responsible for their conduct Is the pregnant women ALWAYS responsible for getting pregnant? If not, is it moral to force her to ‘be responsible’? Do we hold the father equally responsible?

Abortion Should women be allowed to obtain abortions? No!  Abortion is murder Should women and accomplices be charged with murder? Mark Carl Rom

Example: Abortion Should women be allowed to obtain abortions? Yes!  It is a matter of fundamental rights Where do these rights come from?  The fetus is not a human, and so has no rights What makes a human ‘human’? Does the fetus ever have these qualities? Does abortion EVER involve taking a human life? If so, is this killing ALWAYS permissible?

Mark Carl Rom Abortion Should women be allowed to obtain abortions? Yes!  Women should have control over their bodies; the fetus is an invader Do women have the right to do ANYTHING they want to the fetus? (Crack? Alcohol?) Can women sell their bodies?

Abortion Central question: When does the “entity” become a human?  Conception  Heart beat  Viability  Birth Mark Carl Rom

Example: Abortion Empirical policy research can also address some questions:  If abortion is allowed, does pre-marital sex increase?  Does abortion lead to long term health risks? But even then empirical policy research cannot provide definitive policy answers:  If abortion increases pre-marital sex, does that mean it should be banned?  If abortion does not increase long term health risks, does that mean it should be allowed?

Mark Carl Rom Example: Abortion There are better and worse arguments for and against abortion These arguments should be examined Examining arguments can lead to better (more consistent, more acceptable, more in accordance with moral principles) policy recommendations Good arguments will not persuade everybody, or make disagreements go away.

How can we think about each policy question? Consequentialism  Outcomes Deontological reasoning  Rules Casuistry  Situations Mark Carl Rom

How can we decide what to do for each policy question? We have three main options:  We can let each person decide: “markets”  We can all decide together for everyone: “democracy”  We can have select individuals decide for everyone: “authority”

Mark Carl Rom Example: Abortion Who should make policy?  Courts? (Authorities)  Voters or legislatures? (Democracy)  Individuals? (Markets) What are the likely consequences of each?

Mark Carl Rom Is each method of deciding equally good? Each method will have different consequences Each set of consequences helps some people and hurts others, promotes certain values and ignores others. The consequences of each method depend on how markets, democracy, and authority are designed Policy analysts can examine both consequences and methods, and provide arguments and evidence about how to them

Mark Carl Rom In Conclusion Politics and policy are fundamentally about ethical and value choices Policy analysts cannot avoid ethical and value dilemmas Systematic study of ethics and values can lead to better decisions