Ethics Public Policy

Public policy is any institution, norm, or rule created by a government to guide people?s behavior. The study of public policy raises significant ethical questions. In particular: to what ends should citizens? behavior be guided, and by which means should a government guide such behavior? When might a public policy intervention by the government in the affairs of private individuals be unethical? Ethics and Public Policy will survey a number of areas in which public policy has been used to address social and political issues: crime, immigration, health, safety, inequality, religion, and the family. Students will question, debate, and reflect on the ethical principles which favor or disfavor the implementation of various public policies.