\makeatletter \let\ifGm@compatii\relax \makeatother \documentclass[12pt]{beamer} %use this for presentation % \documentclass[12pt,handout]{beamer} %use this for handouts \usefonttheme{serif} \usefonttheme{structuresmallcapsserif} \newcommand{\its}{\vskip 10pt \item} \newcommand{\pits}{\vskip 10pt \pause \item} \newcommand{\st}{\operatorname{st}} \newcommand{\var}{\operatorname{var}} \newtheorem{prop}{Proposition} \newcommand{\R}{\mathbb{R}} \newcommand{\E}{\mathbb{E}} \newcommand{\AR}{\operatorname{AR}} %\newtheorem{theorem}{Theorem} \newcommand{\un}{\underline} \newcommand{\ov}{\overline} \newcommand{\gp}{\succ} \newcommand{\lp}{\prec} \newcommand{\gep}{\succsim} \newcommand{\lep}{\precsim} \newcommand{\T}{\ensuremath{\mbox{\footnotesize\textsc{occupation}}}} \renewcommand{\S}{\ensuremath{\mbox{\footnotesize\textsc{suicide}}}} %\newcommand{\R}{\ensuremath{\mbox{\footnotesize\textsc{religious}}}} \usepackage{graphicx} \usepackage{ragged2e} % ----------------------------------------- % Center the Frame Title % ----------------------------------------- \setbeamertemplate{frametitle} { \begin{centering} \vspace{0.1in} \insertframetitle \par \end{centering}} % ----------------------------------------- % Number the slides % ----------------------------------------- \setbeamertemplate{footline}[frame number] % ----------------------------------------- % Get rid of the irritating navigation bar % ----------------------------------------- \setbeamertemplate{navigation symbols}{} % ----------------------------------------- % Begin Document % ----------------------------------------- \title[Normative Frameworks] % (optional, use only with long paper titles) {Normative Frameworks} \author{} % Ethan Bueno de Mesquita\\ \small{Harris School of Public Policy Studies}\\ \small{University of Chicago}} \date[]% (optional, should be abbreviation of conference name) % Delete this, if you do not want the table of contents to pop up at % the beginning of each subsection: % \AtBeginSection[] % { % \begin{frame}{Outline} % \tableofcontents[currentsection,currentsubsection] % \end{frame} % } % Delete this, if you do not want the table of contents to pop up at % the beginning of each subsection: \AtBeginSubsection[] { \begin{frame}{Outline} \tableofcontents[currentsection,currentsubsection] \end{frame} } \begin{document} \beamersetaveragebackground{white} \begin{frame} \titlepage \end{frame} \begin{frame}{Goals of this part of the course} What are the goals of public policy? \ What do we mean by \emph{good} public policy? \ Three approaches \begin{enumerate} \item \textbf{Philosophical:} Normative political theory \its \textbf{Procedural:} Social choice theory \its A more modest set of goals and associated model \end{enumerate} \end{frame} \begin{frame}{Goals of this lecture} Introduction to normative political theory \ Reasonable people can disagree \ Not all good things go together \ Clarify concepts and debates \end{frame} \begin{frame} \begin{columns} \begin{column}{.6\textwidth} \justify ``You clarify a few concepts. You make a few distinctions. It's a living.''   \end{column} \begin{column}{.4\textwidth} \begin{block}{} \begin{center} \includegraphics[scale=.8]{figures/morgenbesser.pdf}\\ Sidney Morgenbesser\end{center} \end{block} \end{column} \end{columns} \end{frame} \begin{frame}{What is a normative framework?} 3 things normative theorists do \begin{enumerate} \item Identify and clarify various normatively valuable goals \its Describe trade-offs amongst these goals \its Offer foundational arguments about which goals are valuable and how to balance the trade-offs \end{enumerate} \ A normative framework is a \emph{model} for thinking about normative trade-offs \begin{itemize} \item We aren't looking for the \textbf{right} normative framework \its We are looking for useful normative frameworks \end{itemize} \ Private vs.\ public morality \end{frame} \begin{frame}{Outline} \tableofcontents \end{frame} \section{Welfarism} \begin{frame}{Welfarism} A \emph{consequentialist} normative framework \ Determines the rightness or wrongness of an action, policy, or social arrangement by its consequences \ In particular, the consequence of import is people's welfare \end{frame} \subsection{Utilitarianism} \begin{frame}{Utilitarianism} Bentham: Society should seek to achieve the greatest amount of good for the greatest number \ Underlying normative concept for almost all of policy analysis \ Two definitions of aggregate utility \begin{itemize} \item Sum of utilities \its Average utility \end{itemize} \end{frame} \begin{frame}{Why Utilitarianism?} Easy form of welfarism to think about and quantify \begin{itemize} \item Though informational requirement of interpersonally comparable utility is quite strong \end{itemize} \ Provides a powerful way of thinking about trade-offs \begin{itemize} \item Always just add up the ``plusses and minuses'' \end{itemize} \ Treats individual welfares symmetrically \end{frame} \subsection{Some Problems for Utilitarianism} \begin{frame}{Thinking about problematic cases} \begin{columns} \begin{column}{.6\textwidth} \justify ``Objections by way of counter-examples are to be made with care, since these may tell us only what we know already, namely that our theory is wrong somewhere. The important thing is to find out how often and how far it is wrong. All theories are presumably mistaken in places. The real question at any given time is which of the views already proposed is the best approximation overall.''   \end{column} \begin{column}{.4\textwidth} \begin{block}{} \begin{center} \includegraphics[scale=.2]{figures/rawls.pdf}\\ John Rawls\end{center} \end{block} \end{column} \end{columns} \end{frame} \begin{frame}{Challenges for Utilitarianism} \begin{columns} \begin{column}{.6\textwidth} Trolleys, transplants, and beyond \ \pause Intergenerational Equity \ \pause Relationships \end{column} \begin{column}{.4\textwidth} \begin{block}{} \begin{center} \includegraphics[scale=.2]{figures/kids.pdf}\\ \end{center} \end{block} \end{column} \end{columns} \end{frame} \section{Egalitarianism} \begin{frame}{Outline} \tableofcontents[currentsection,currentsubsection] \end{frame} \begin{frame}{Egalitarianism} Another consequentialist framework \ Equality of what? \begin{itemize} \item Wealth \its Opportunity \end{itemize} \end{frame} \subsection{Equality of Wealth} \begin{frame}{Problems for Equality of Wealth in General} Prioritization and Efficiency \ Incentives \ Leveling Down \end{frame} \begin{frame}{Leveling Down} \begin{center} \begin{tabular}{c c c} & Person $A$ & Person $B$\\ &&\\ Society 1 & 20 & 20\\ &&\\ Society 2 & 30 & 40\\ \end{tabular}\end{center} \end{frame} \begin{frame}{Equality of Wealth} Utilitarianism \ The veil of ignorance \ Community \end{frame} \begin{frame}{Diminishing Marginal Utility} \begin{figure} \includegraphics[scale = 1]{figures/risk-aversion.pdf} \end{figure} \end{frame} \begin{frame}{Cohen's Community} Inequality breeds competition and commodification \ These are debasing \ Human dignity is best served by a society organized around cooperation and community \ This requires sharing and equality, rather than self-interest and inequality \end{frame} \begin{frame}{The Veil of Ignorance} \begin{figure} \begin{center} \includegraphics[scale =.5]{figures/veil.pdf} \end{center} \end{figure} \end{frame} \begin{frame}{The Difference Principle} \begin{quotation} \noindent \textbf{Rawls' Difference Principle:} A society should have inequality only to the extent that such inequality tends to increase the welfare of the worst off member of that society. \end{quotation} \ Egalitarian in spirit \ Acknowledges the incentives problem and addresses the leveling down problem \end{frame} \subsection{Equality of Opportunity} \begin{frame}{Cohen's 3 Equalities of Opportunity} \begin{enumerate} \item \emph{Bourgeois Equality of Opportunity:} Irrelevant characteristics shouldn't affect access, only relevant competencies \its \emph{Left-Liberal Equality of Opportunity:} Irrelevant characteristics shouldn't affect chance of acquiring relevant competencies \its \emph{Socialist Equality of Opportunity:} Access to opportunities shouldn't be affected by place in distribution of natural talents \end{enumerate} \end{frame} \begin{frame}{Dworkin's Luck Elimination} Matters of luck are only unjust if they are the result of ``brute" circumstance, not a deliberate choice of an ``option'' \ What constitutes luck? \begin{itemize} \item Parents \its Innate characteristics \its Preferences \its Actions \end{itemize} \ How do you achieve equality of opportunity without equality of outcomes? \end{frame} \begin{frame}{A Utilitarian Argument} Like equality of opportunity to avoid wasting social resources \ Balance benefits of equality of opportunity and incentive effects of necessary levels of equality of outcomes \ Equality of opportunity isn't the core value \begin{itemize} \item Fairness \its Basic rights \end{itemize} \end{frame} \section{Consequentialism and Cosmopolitanism} \begin{frame}{Outline} \tableofcontents[currentsection,currentsubsection] \end{frame} \begin{frame}{Cosmopolitanism} To apply a consequentialist framework, you must first identify the relevant population \ Within a country vs.\ across countries \ Within a generation or across generations \end{frame} \section{Deontological Frameworks} \begin{frame}{Outline} \tableofcontents[currentsection,currentsubsection] \end{frame} \begin{frame}{Deontology} Judge a policy or social arrangement by conformity to a moral norm or duty, rather than by its consequences \ Rights and duties \ Kantian autonomy \end{frame} \begin{frame}{2 Versions of Kant's Categorical Imperative} \begin{enumerate} \item An action is moral only if a rational person would be willing to make the maxim (principle) that motivates the action a universal law. \pits We must never treat another person's humanity as merely a means, but rather always as an end unto itself. \end{enumerate} \ \pause How CI helps with the trolley problem etc. \end{frame} \begin{frame}{Challenges for Deontology} Trade-offs \ Paradox of deontology \ Identifying the maxim \end{frame} \section{Take Aways} \begin{frame}{Outline} \tableofcontents[currentsection,currentsubsection] \end{frame} \begin{frame}{Take Aways} Various normative goals are often in conflict with one another \ Any plausible normative framework has good arguments in its favor and good arguments against it \ Normative frameworks are models that help us think through trade-offs, they do not offer \emph{the} answer to any question \ You will (and need) not be able to justify all your normative commitments within a single framework \ Reasonable people can disagree \end{frame} \end{document}