Public Policy Vocab

The Harm Principle (J.S. Mill)

• Government should only interfere with individual liberty to prevent harm to others.

• Challenge: Drawing the line between "self-regarding" behavior and behavior that harms the community (e.g., structural, accumulative, or emotional harms).

The Security-Efficiency Trade-off

The common political argument that providing too much security (welfare) reduces the incentive to work (efficiency)

Paternalism

Whether the government should coerce individuals for their own good (e.g., seatbelt laws, motorcycle helmets)

Equality and Equity Paradox (Stone)

Equality may mean inequality, and equal treatment may require unequal treatment

Upper Tier

Contributory programs (Social Security, Medicare) that are national, generous, popular, and perceived as "earned”

Lower Tier

Means-tested programs (TANF, SNAP, Medicaid) that are often state-run, less generous, and stigmatized

Complications to the Tiers

Programs like the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and SSI complicate this simple division because they vary in visibility and popularity.

The Submerged State Definition

Federal policies that provide incentives and subsidies to private actors/individuals, often hidden from public view

The Submerged State Tools

Tax expenditures (e.g., Home Mortgage Interest Deduction), student loan subsidies, and tax-free employer benefits

The Submerged State Policy Implications

Because these benefits are "submerged," citizens often don't realize they are receiving government aid, which makes them harder to defend or reform and facilitates "upward redistribution" to the wealthy.

Accidental Cause

Natural disasters or "fate" (no purpose, no intent)

Intentional Cause

Oppression, conspiracies, or willful harm (purposeful action, intended consequence)

Mechanical Cause

Machines or "brainwashed" agents (unguided action, intended consequence)

Inadvertent Cause

Carelessness, neglect, or unforeseen side effects (purposeful action, unintended consequence)

Political Strategies with Causal Stories

Actors try to move problems from the realm of accident to the realm of intent to justify government intervention and assign blame.

Synecdoche

Using a part to represent the whole (e.g., "Horror Stories" used to drive policy changes)

Social Security Formula

It is "regressive" in contributions (due to the cap) but "progressive" in benefits (replacing a higher percentage of income for low-wage earners)

Why is Social Security the Third Rail

Social Security is so popular (90% favorability) that politicians fear suggesting cuts or major reforms

Causes of Depleting Social Security Trust

Demographic shifts (Baby Boomers retiring) and declining birth rates (fewer workers paying in per retiree)

Social Construction of Statistics

The choice of what to count (e.g., how we define the "unemployed" or "poverty line") is a political decision that determines who gets resources

Reactive Effects

People change their behavior when they are being measured (e.g., VA hospital staff refusing high-risk patients to keep their "numbers" good)

303 Creative v. Elenis (2023) Overview

The Dispute: A Christian website designer refused to create sites for same-sex weddings, citing First Amendment rights against "compelled speech".

The Values Conflict: Liberty of speech/religion (Majority) versus Equality of access to public accommodations (Dissent).

COVID-19 Policy Trade-offs (Macedo & Lee) Overview

The Critique: Policymakers focused on "short-term bias" (daily case/death counts) while ignoring "long-term costs" like learning loss, mental health, and economic inequality.

Inequity: School closures disproportionately harmed poor and minority children who lacked the "social capital" and resources for remote learning.

Reparations (Coates vs. Hughes) Overview

Coates: Focuses on the "national reckoning" and the specific, compounded nature of Black poverty resulting from systemic theft (slavery, Jim Crow, redlining).

Hughes: Argues that class is a better indicator of privation than race and that policy should be based on current socioeconomics rather than genealogy.

Welfare State- Definition

A government system that assumes primary responsibility for the social and economic well-being of its citizens, funded through taxation

What is TANF

• Temporary Assistance for Needy Families

• Federally funded, state-run program

• Providing cash assistance, job training, and support services to low-income families with children

• Promote employment and stability

• Often called welfare