Public Policy Why ethics matters Public Policy Why ethics matters Edited by Jonathan Boston, Andrew Bradstock, and David Eng THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY E P R E S S Published by ANU E Press The Australian National University Canberra ACT 0200, Australia Email: [email protected] This title is also available online at: http://epress.anu.edu.au/ethics_matters_citation. html National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry Title: Public policy : why ethics matters / edited by Jonathan Boston, Andrew Bradstock, and David Eng. ISBN: 9781921666735 (pbk.) 9781921666759 (eBook) Series: ANZSOG series. Notes: Includes bibliographical references. Subjects: Ethics. Decision making--Moral and ethical aspects. Political ethics. Social values. Other Authors/Contributors: Boston, Jonathan, 1957- Bradstock, Andrew. Eng, David L., 1967- Dewey Number: 170 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. Cover design by ANU E Press Printed by Griffin Press Funding for this monograph series has been provided by the Australia and New Zealand School of Government Research Program. This edition © 2010 ANU E Press John Wanna, Series Editor Professor John Wanna is the Sir John Bunting Chair of Public Administration at the Research School of Social Sciences at The Australian National University and is the director of research for the Australian and New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG). He is also a joint appointment with the Department of Politics and Public Policy at Griffith University and a principal researcher with two research centres: the Governance and Public Policy Research Centre and the nationally funded Key Centre in Ethics, Law, Justice and Governance at Griffith University. Contents Preface . ix Biographies.of.contributors. xi 1 ..Ethics.and.public.policy. 1 Jonathan Boston, Andrew Bradstock, and David Eng Part I: Ethical foundations of public policy 2 ..Justice,.humanity,.and.prudence. 21 Tom Campbell 3 ..Doing.ethical.policy.analysis. 37 Michael Mintrom 4 ..The.public.servant.as.analyst,.adviser,.and.advocate. 55 David Bromell 5 ..Be.careful.what.you.wish.for . 79 John Uhr Part II: Ethics of climate change 6 ..The.most.important.thing.about.climate.change . 101 John Broome 7 ..Recognising.ethics.to.help.a.constructive.. climate.change.debate. 117 Andy Reisinger and Howard Larsen 8 ..Sharing.the.responsibility.of.dealing.with.climate.change:......... Interpreting.the.principle.of.common.but.differentiated. responsibilities . 141 Dan Weijers, David Eng, and Ramon Das 9 ..Virtue.and.the.commons . 159 Xavier Márquez Part III: Perspectives on ethics and the economy 10 ..Tackling.economic.inequality . 183 Andrew Bradstock 11 ..Is.ethics.important.for.economic.growth?. 201 David Rea 12 ..Regulation.of.financial.markets:.Panics,.moral.hazard,.. and.the.long-term.good . 227 Simon Smelt 13 ..An.alternative.reply.to.the.free-rider.objection.against. unconditional.citizenship.grants . 257 Julia Maskivker .References . 277 Preface This edited volume brings together a selection of 12 papers that were originally delivered at a major conference – Ethical Foundations of Public Policy – in December 2009 in Wellington, New Zealand. The conference was co-hosted by the Institute of Policy Studies and the Philosophy Programme at Victoria University of Wellington, and the Centre for Theology and Public Issues at the University of Otago, and was sponsored by the School of Government Trust. The conference was very well attended with some 350 participants, of whom about 50 delivered papers. The purpose of the conference was to encourage and facilitate debate about the ethical basis for policy making. This includes, of course, the ethical principles that should inform our behaviour, whether as citizens, voters, policy analysts, or decision makers, as well as the normative considerations that should guide our choices over the substantive content of particular policies – whether fiscal policy, health policy, or foreign policy. To facilitate such a dialogue, the conference brought together a variety of policy makers, including politicians, government officials, and political advisers, together with academics from various disciplines, including economics, law, philosophy, politics, religious studies, and theology. The mix of disciplines was deliberate. Discussions concerning the ethical foundations of public policy must not, in our view, be the prerogative exclusively of moral philosophers or theologians. On the contrary, the subject is of universal relevance and deserves the attention of all those who wish to contribute to public life. The conference had five main sub-themes: speaking truth to power (or the ethics of advice giving), the ethics of decision making, protecting the global commons, issues of equality and justice, and measuring progress. But there were also contributions on other subject areas, including ethics and economics, and ethics and health care, with papers on such issues as vulnerability, autonomy and justice, making fair funding decisions for high-cost health care, and the role of consumers in making health policy. As highlighted by the contributions to the conference, ethical analysis remains a vigorously contested field. There are many competing moral philosophies and theologies. In our view, public debate on the merits of the different approaches is critical. After all, the ethical framework we adopt has major consequences for ix Public.Policy:.Why.ethics.matters policy making: it shapes the questions we ask, the methodologies we use, the values we embrace, the weighting we give to different ethical principles, and hence the policy choices we make. The chapters in this book cover all but one of the five main sub-themes addressed during the conference. The exception concerns the measurement of progress, and this subject will be covered, together with several other topics, in a separate edited volume to be published by Victoria University Press. We would like to thank all those who contributed to the production of this book: the authors of the 12 chapters for their diligent and rapid re-crafting of their conference papers, Belinda Hill for her assistance with copy-editing, and John Butcher for advice and encouragement. We would also like to thank the School of Government Trust, the Philosophy Programme at Victoria University of Wellington, and the Centre for Theology and Public Issues at the University of Otago for their generous financial support. Jonathan Boston Andrew Bradstock David Eng July 2010 x Biographies of contributors Jonathan Boston is Professor of Public Policy and Director of the Institute of Policy Studies at the School of Government, Victoria University of Wellington. He has published widely in the fields of public management, tertiary education, social policy, comparative government, New Zealand politics, and climate change policy, including 24 books and over 170 journal articles and book chapters. Andrew Bradstock is Howard Paterson Professor of Theology and Public Issues and Director of the Centre for Theology and Public Issues at the University of Otago. Previously he co-directed the Centre for Faith and Society at the Von Hügel Institute, St Edmund’s College, Cambridge, and was Secretary for Church and Society with the United Reformed Church in the United Kingdom. David Bromell is a principal adviser with the New Zealand Ministry of Social Development, a senior associate of the Institute of Policy Studies at the School of Government, Victoria University of Wellington, and the author of Ethnicity, Identity and Public Policy: Critical perspectives on multiculturalism (2008) and ‘Recognition, redistribution and democratic inclusion’ (in R. Openshaw and E. Rata (eds), The Politics of Conformity in New Zealand, 2009). John Broome is White’s Professor of Moral Philosophy at the University of Oxford. He was previously Professor of Philosophy at the University of St Andrews and Professor of Economics at the University of Bristol. His books include The Microeconomics of Capitalism (1984), Weighing Goods (1991), Counting the Cost of Global Warming (1992), Ethics out of Economics (1999), Weighing Lives (2004). Tom Campbell is Director of the Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics, an Australian Research Council Special Research Centre, at Charles Sturt University. He was formerly Dean of Law at the Australian National University and Professor of Jurisprudence at the University of Glasgow. His books include The Left and Rights (1983), Justice (2001), and Rights (2006). Ramon Das is a senior lecturer in philosophy at Victoria University of Wellington. He is especially interested in questions about ethics and international relations, as well as questions about what responsibilities ordinary citizens have to alleviate global suffering. His other research areas include philosophy of law, philosophy of economics, and moral psychology. He is writing a book on the ethics of globalisation. xi Public.Policy:.Why.ethics.matters David Eng is a consultant for the Tertiary Education Commission in New Zealand and was previously a lecturer in philosophy at Victoria University of Wellington. Before that, he was an assistant professor at California State University Bakersfield for three years. When he moved to New Zealand in 2003, he worked for the Tertiary Education Commission until 2007. His areas of research include epistemology,