Normative notions of fairness are shaped by—and reflected in—a nation’s legal system. The idea of equality is a bedrock element of the American legal and political systems; we strive for a meritocracy and affirm the obligation of government to treat similarly situated citizens equally. The ‘level playing field’ is a favorite metaphor.
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Category Archives: Academic Papers
Back To School
[W]hile school districts across the nation have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on safety and safety technologies, there is very little data about the relative effectiveness of these measures. While concern for student safety is certainly warranted, sound public policy should be based upon evidence of the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of these technologies, as well as their congruity with basic constitutional principles.
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Reducing Identity politics in the Workplace
The official American vision of equality has been one of a society in which group identity is legally irrelevant, where individual conduct is the only proper concern of government, and individual merit the only determinant of reward in the workplace. In such a meritocracy, individuals are rewarded or punished …
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Back to Basics
The study of public affairs is inevitably particularistic; that is, it is focused upon analysis and management of the public’s business as that business is defined by a particular society at a particular time. Such a study must begin with the rules a given society has established to direct and constrain its government; that is, with analysis of constitutional assumptions about the roles, rights and responsibilities of government and its citizens, and the relationship between them.
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The Conundrum of Children in the U.S. Health System
Children are routinely excluded from expressing their opinions involving medical decisions that affect them. This article discusses the complex reasons why children’s voices typically are not heard in the US, the consequences of their dis-empowerment, and the ethical obligations of health care providers to advocate for the rights of children even in the absence of a legal mandate to do so.
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