Ethics and Public Policy: A Philosophical Inquiry / Edition 1

by Jonathan Wolff

Overview

Ethics and Public Policy: A Philosophical Inquiry, second edition subjects important and controversial areas of public policy to philosophical scrutiny. Jonathan Wolff, a renowned philosopher and veteran of many public committees, introduces and assesses core problems and controversies in public policy from a philosophical standpoint. Each chapter focuses on an important area of public policy where there is considerable moral and political disagreement. Topics discussed include:

• Can we defend inflicting suffering on animals in scientific experiments for human benefit?

• What limits to gambling can be achieved through legislation?

• What assumptions underlie drug policy? Can we justify punishing those who engage in actions that harm only themselves?

• What is so bad about crime? What is the point of punishment?

Other chapters discuss health care, disability, safety, and the free market. Throughout the book, fundamental questions for both philosopher and policy maker recur: what are the best methods for connecting philosophy and public policy? Should thinking about public policy be guided by an ‘an ideal world’ or the world we live in now? If there are ‘knock down’ arguments in philosophy why are there none in public policy?

Revised throughout to reflect changes in policy and research, this second edition includes four new chapters, on risky new technologies, the future of work, poverty, and immigration.

Each chapter concludes with ‘Lessons for Philosophy’ making this book not only an ideal introduction for those coming to philosophy, ethics, or public policy for the first time, but also a vital resource for anyone grappling with the moral complexity underlying policy debates.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780415668538
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	07/14/2011
Edition description:	Older Edition
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Jonathan Wolff is the Alfred Landecker Professor of Values and Public Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government, and Chair in Public Policy and Governing Body Fellow at Wolfson College, Oxford, UK. His books include An Introduction to Moral Philosophy (2018), The Human Right to Health (2012), Disadvantage (2007, with Avner de-Shalit), An Introduction to Political Philosophy (third edition 2016), Why Read Marx Today? (2002), and Robert Nozick (1991). He has been a member of the Nuffield Council of Bioethics, the Academy of Medical Science working party on Drug Futures, the Gambling Review Body, the Homicide Review Group, an external member of the Board of Science of the British Medical Association, and a Trustee of GambleAware. He writes a regular column on higher education for The Guardian.

Table of Contents

Preface to Second Edition Preface to First Edition Introduction 1. Scientific experiments on animals 2. Gambling 3. Drugs 4. Safety 5. New technologies 6. Crime and punishment 7. Health 8. Disability 9. The free market 10. The future of work 11. Poverty 12. Immigration 13. Conclusion. Note on the Chapters Further Reading Bibliography Index

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Sylvia Twersky, PhD, MPH (The College of New Jersey)
Description: This is an important update of a book that examines some of the major public policy issues of today from an ethical philosophy standpoint. The original edition was published in 2011
Purpose: The purpose is to help readers understand public opinions and values in relationship to current regulations and policies that are hot button topics both around the water cooler and within scientific, medical, and social science disciplines. An important point that he author makes is that philosophy often creates theories and models at the extremes, and that by understanding the ethical shades of gray that underlie both policies and the public discourse, we can better understand policymaking as the creation of consensus around these thorny issues. In today's divisive political environment, an introduction to these ideas is a critical need for students in the multiple disciplines that can benefit from reflecting on the creation, development, and outcomes of policies that impact public health and healthcare, criminal justice, and social safety net systems. The author brings together ethical issues within key policy areas and the way that they intersect with both outcomes and philosophical theory.
Audience: The author brings his field-tested experiences with multiple ethics and review committees to bear on the exploration of the policies discussed in the book. This book would be particularly appropriate for undergraduate students of applied ethics, public policy, and public health who need to explore the outcomes of public policy and the underlying ethics, such as distributive justice and nationalism, that inform those policy debates and decisions.
Features: In teaching health policy and health economics, I often find myself looking for ways to make explicit to students how philosophy and ethical considerations underlie both the policies and the intended and unintended outcomes of those policies. This book covers many key public health policies including harm reduction, moral hazard, access to care, health disparities, immigration, criminal justice reform, and poverty. Many of these policy topics are interrelated as they both create and are outcomes of social determinants of health. Each chapter is subdivided into separate ethical considerations, and core underlying ethical philosophies are synthesized at the end of each section. A particularly helpful section at the end of the book provides further philosophical readings to support each of the chapters. One downside of dealing with such current policy topics is that in some sections the policy has moved on so quickly that some of the information has become dated. This was particularly acute in the health section and, to a lesser extent, in the immigration section. However, the core issues of access, disparities, and ethical underpinnings remain the same, so that with some updated information from faculty, those chapters are still useful, and the book brings the dynamic nature of the policy process to life.
Assessment: While there are books that focus on public health ethics or public health law and ethics (Essentials of Public Health Ethics, Bernheim et al. (Jones & Bartlett Learning, 2015), Public Health Law, Ethics, and Policy: Cases and Materials, Bonnie and Bernheim (Foundation Press, 2015), Ethics in Health Services and Policy: A Global Approach, Harris (Wiley-Blackwell, 2011)), they tend to be specific to healthcare and healthcare-related law. This book offers a broader and more interdisciplinary perspective, which enables readers to explore policies that may not traditionally seem to fall under health but nonetheless have significant health implications. The book provides students who are outside of health disciplines the opportunity to explore these important policy issues from multiple

Doody's Review Service

Praise for the First Edition:

'Not only does Jonathan Wolff provide the invaluable service of helping us explore the ethical dimension of decision making through a historical and concrete understanding of specific policy dilemmas but he does so in a way which is authoritative, clear and engaging. This book is strongly recommended for putative decision makers who want to think and act wisely and for the philosophically-inclined wishing to test their ideas against the hard realities of policy making.' - Matthew Taylor, Chief Executive, RSA

Selected by The Philosopher's Magazine as one of 'The best books of 2012'.

'Wolff's book will benefit anyone (student or professional) who wants to know more about how good moral philosophy can make a valuable contribution to decisions about public policy. It is worth remembering that Wolff's objectives are ones that we all have a stake in (if not as philosophers, then at least as potential victims of bad policy-making). Wolff is to be applauded for making a valuable contribution to progress in such important areas.' - Daniel Halliday, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews

'Clearly, this is a book intended to be good to teach with - in relevant courses in applied ethics, social policy and healthcare - and accessible too to policy workers seeking a critical angle on their work. That it manages this while also enhancing our understanding of what is philosophically at stake is an impressive achievement. And that it does this while factoring in the process of policymaking - its possibilities, pitfalls and limits - makes it valuable in a different way again. I hope it marks the start of a thriving, long-term genre.' - Gideon Calder, Ethics and Social Welfare

'Wolff illustrates the importance for political philosophy of extensive, detailed knowledge of public policy issues for the development of good philosophy and effective contributions to urgent social issues. Wolff has extensive experience as a member of policy-making boards dealing with a wide range of issues: the treatment of animals in research, gambling, recreational drugs, public health funding, disabilities, and the cost of public safety. ... Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above.' - CHOICE

'This book sets the bar for how moral philosophy can inform, and be informed by, public policy debates. It will be of great value to students interested in ethics, philosophy, political science, economics, and public policy as well as those with interests in the important social issues Wolff addresses.' - Debra Satz, Stanford University, USA

'This is the book we have been waiting for: a treatise on the ethics of public policy by a major political philosopher. An ideal text for a course on practical ethics, or on contemporary social problems: understandable but not at all dumbed-down.' - Daniel Wikler, Harvard University, USA

'A first-class examination of where philosophy meets public policy by one of the leading political philosophers today. I have no doubt that this book will set a new benchmark for all future work, as well as offer a substantial contribution to policy analysis. I cannot recommend it highly enough.' - Thom Brooks, Durham University, UK

'Many books promise to introduce the reader to philosophy and ethics; very few do it with such wit, elegance, and intellectual honesty.' - Richard Ashcroft, Queen Mary University, UK

'A model contribution of political philosophy to the development of public policy - and, as importantly, of the practice of public policy to theory. Policy makers and philosophers will learn an enormous amount from reading it.' - Leslie Pickering Francis, University of Utah, USA

'A beautifully crafted, clear and concisely formulated survey of many controversial and pressing issues in public policy. Wolff's writing conceals an apparently effortless command of a wealth of philosophical argument, and helps painlessly to steer the reader through complex material.' - David Archard, Queen's University Belfast, UK

'Written with his customary clarity, elegance, and intelligence, Jo Wolff's excellent new book sheds some much needed light on the under-explored connections between applied ethics and public policy. It will be of real interest to anyone with even a passing interest in these issues.' - Gerald Lang, University of Leeds, UK

Praise for the First Edition:

'Not only does Jonathan Wolff provide the invaluable service of helping us explore the ethical dimension of decision making through a historical and concrete understanding of specific policy dilemmas but he does so in a way which is authoritative, clear and engaging. This book is strongly recommended for putative decision makers who want to think and act wisely, and for the philosophically-inclined wishing to test their ideas against the hard realities of policy making.' - Matthew Taylor, Chief Executive, RSA

Selected by The Philosopher's Magazine as one of 'The best books of 2012'.

'Wolff's book will benefit anyone (student or professional) who wants to know more about how good moral philosophy can make a valuable contribution to decisions about public policy. It is worth remembering that Wolff's objectives are ones that we all have a stake in (if not as philosophers, then at least as potential victims of bad policy-making). Wolff is to be applauded for making a valuable contribution to progress in such important areas.' - Daniel Halliday, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews

'Clearly, this is a book intended to be good to teach with - in relevant courses in applied ethics, social policy and healthcare - and accessible too to policy workers seeking a critical angle on their work. That it manages this while also enhancing our understanding of what is philosophically at stake is an impressive achievement. And that it does this while factoring in the process of policymaking - its possibilities, pitfalls and limits - makes it valuable in a different way again. I hope it marks the start of a thriving, long-term genre.' - Gideon Calder, Ethics and Social Welfare

'Wolff illustrates the importance for political philosophy of extensive, detailed knowledge of public policy issues for the development of good philosophy and effective contributions to urgent social issues. Wolff has extensive experience as a member of policy-making boards dealing with a wide range of issues: the treatment of animals in research, gambling, recreational drugs, public health funding, disabilities, and the cost of public safety. ... Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above.' - CHOICE

'This book sets the bar for how moral philosophy can inform, and be informed by, public policy debates. It will be of great value to students interested in ethics, philosophy, political science, economics, and public policy as well as those with interests in the important social issues Wolff addresses.' - Debra Satz, Stanford University, USA

'This is the book we have been waiting for: a treatise on the ethics of public policy by a major political philosopher. An ideal text for a course on practical ethics, or on contemporary social problems: understandable but not at all dumbed-down.' - Daniel Wikler, Harvard University, USA

'A first-class examination of where philosophy meets public policy by one of the leading political philosophers today. I have no doubt that this book will set a new benchmark for all future work, as well as offer a substantial contribution to policy analysis. I cannot recommend it highly enough.' - Thom Brooks, Durham University, UK

'Many books promise to introduce the reader to philosophy and ethics; very few do it with such wit, elegance, and intellectual honesty.' - Richard Ashcroft, Queen Mary University, UK

'A model contribution of political philosophy to the development of public policy - and, as importantly, of the practice of public policy to theory. Policy makers and philosophers will learn an enormous amount from reading it.' - Leslie Pickering Francis, University of Utah, USA

'A beautifully crafted, clear and concisely formulated survey of many controversial and pressing issues in public policy. Wolff's writing conceals an apparently effortless command of a wealth of philosophical argument, and helps painlessly to steer the reader through complex material.' - David Archard, Queen's University Belfast, UK

'Written with his customary clarity, elegance, and intelligence, Jo Wolff's excellent new book sheds some much needed light on the under-explored connections between applied ethics and public policy. It will be of real interest to anyone with even a passing interest in these issues.' - Gerald Lang, University of Leeds, UK

From the Publisher