Subjective priority setting process

Shahab Sabahi

Energy and Environment for Development – Policy Analysis Research Group

One may describe, the policy analysis procedure involves a series of objectives and logical steps such as goal setting; based on world-view and cultural values, cost-benefit outcome (logic, abeit to some degree depends on analyst's perspective), compliance with the governed law both cultural bases and natural law and etc.

There is one element so-called "PRIORITY setting" that comes so often to fore that is influenced by SUBJECTIVITY. It may radically shift and influence the policy design and its implementation.
From different perspectives, priorities may be in different colours.

General notion says that dotmocracy is an effective technique to underplay the influence of SUBJECTIVITY. In its simplest form, one provides participants with one to three dots (usually stickers) and invite them to place a dot beside their top one to three options. It is a voting technique. Dotmocracy works well with large groups in situations when a quick ‘read’ of the group feelings are required and when participants are not very interested or able to engage in very rigorous, analytical ranking processes.

Like all existing techniques, dotmocracy has its limitations. It still accomodates, to some degree subjective priority setting processes. It is effectively implemented in situations when the personal or professional judgment opinions of participants are an acceptable decision-making standards.

Giving all a/m points, is there any way to get ride of this "SUBJECTIVITY"?

Contrary to principle: Budget deficit reduction policy

Shahab Sabahi

Energy and Environment for Development – Policy Analysis Research Group

For reducing budget deficits, governments face two policy choices, either reducing government spending such as health care or raising tax on rich. WHICH one is good?

There are many ways to judge the value of a policy target. To answer the above mentioned question we should answer to the essential questions. How can we distinguish between good and bad?

Utilitarian theory requires, which is one of the most dominant doctrines with stronghold in North America, a policy to maximize pleasures.

According to a utilitarian theory, it assumes that the rightness of an action depends entirely on the amount of pleasure it tends to produce and the amount of pain it tends to prevent. It describes the good not only as pleasure, but also as happiness, benefit, advantage. J. S. Mill particularly emphasizes the importance of pleasures. Thus the values of the consequences of an action are evaluated based on not only the quantity but also the quality of the action’s pleasure.

So if one accepts utilitarianism, its policy target must be set based on the greatest-happiness principle of majority as a standard of right and wrong. Hence, the Budget Deficit Reduction Policy should be judged as good if it improves the greatest happiness of the greatest number, by either increasing pleasure or decreasing pain.

The notion and motion that denies health care to the poor who outnumbers rich, is a BAD policy when it makes the majority unpleased.

By this standard: “should not deficit-reduction policy raise taxes on the very rich?” However one can sticks to only the collective cost-benefit numbers, so then the value judgment is not something it can justify at all on the basis of those numbers.