Democracy, Social Values, and Public Policy

Milton Michael Carrow, Robert Paul Churchill, Robert P. Churchill, Joseph J. Cordes

Greenwood Publishing Group, 1998 - Political Science - 201 pages

Transcending the widespread concerns about deteriorating moral values in American society, this collection focuses on the common values of American society. Through the perspectives of philosophers, historians, political scientists, theologians, anthropologists, economists, and scientists, this book examines American social values and discusses how they are applied in current areas of public interest.

American democratic ideals are not simply rooted in the conventional structural and institutional elements of a democracy, such as the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. American democracy, in fact, could not survive without a strong basis of social values that support community, tolerance, and cooperation. Since social values form the common bonds of society, and may not be supported by individual members, they are determined through a complex cultural, legal, and political process, as one of the contributors points out.

The contributors to this book were assembled from a variety of disciplines and professions to examine social values and analyze their application in specific areas of current controversy. Through the perspectives of philosophy, anthropology, history, economics, political science, biomedical ethics, and religion, these discussions cover not only disciplinary perspectives but cover topics such as the environment, intergenerational interaction, social welfare policies, gender, and genetic engineering.

Contents

• A Framework for Democracy Social Values and Public Policy: xvii
• The Origin of Social Values: 5
• The Wellsprings of Social Values: 21
• American Democratic Institutions and Social Values: 31
• Social Values and Public Policy A Contribution from a Religious Tradition: 51
• In Search of Identity Economics and Values: 67
• Policy Analysis and Social Values: 85
• The Ethics of CostBenefit Analysis Incommensurable Incompatible and Incomparable Values: 101
• Intergenerational Interaction on Resource Allocation: 117
• Social Welfare Policies and Values: 125
• Women Gender Values and Public Policy: 141
• Democratic Rhetoric and Genetic Engineering Who Owns the Human Gene Pool?: 157
• Democracy Social Values and Public Policy Concluding Commentary: 173
• For Further Reading: 181
• Index: 183
• About the Contributors: 191

About the author

MILTON M. CARROW is Research Professor of Public Policy in the Graduate Program in Public Policy at The George Washington University.

ROBERT PAUL CHURCHILL is Professor of Philosophy at The George Washington University.

JOSEPH J. CORDES is Professor of Economics in the Graduate Program in Public Policy at The George Washington University.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Democracy, Social Values, and Public Policy
• Editors: Milton Michael Carrow, Robert Paul Churchill, Robert P. Churchill, Joseph J. Cordes
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: Greenwood Publishing Group, 1998
• ISBN: 0275959856, 9780275959852
• Length: 201 pages
• Subjects: Political Science / Political Ideologies / Democracy