Transcript Ethics and Values - Georgetown Commons

Ethics and Values
in Public Policy
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
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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’
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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
Mark Carl Rom
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?
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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”
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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
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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
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Speaking
 Debates (5 minutes for each side)
 Final presentations
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Writing
 Four memos (750 words each)
 Two policy briefs (750 words each)
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Analysis
 Reading
 Reflection
 Discussion
 Blogs
Mark Carl Rom
Evaluations?
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Speaking (30 percent)
Debate (15 percent)
Final presentation (15 percent)
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Writing (50 percent)
Policy memos (10 percent each)
Policy briefs (10 percent)
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Participation (20 percent)
Blogs, peer evaluations, engagement
Mark Carl Rom
What are ‘Good Reasons’?
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Involve argument and rationale:
 “We should ban smoking because it harms non-smokers”
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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
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Extreme positions are not strong?
 Based on a single value
• Ignore competing values
• Ignore values of others
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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
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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
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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?
Mark Carl Rom
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
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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
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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
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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?
Mark Carl Rom
Abortion
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Central question: When does the “entity”
become a human?
Conception
Heart beat
Viability
Birth
Mark Carl Rom
Example: Abortion
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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?
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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
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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.
Mark Carl Rom
How can we think about
each policy question?
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Consequentialism
Outcomes
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Deontological reasoning
Rules
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Casuistry
Situations
Mark Carl Rom
How can we decide what to
do for each policy question?
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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
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Who should make policy?
Courts? (Authorities)
Voters or legislatures? (Democracy)
Individuals? (Markets)
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What are the likely consequences of
each?
Mark Carl Rom
Is each method of
deciding equally good?
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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
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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
Mark Carl Rom