PH415      One Unit
Philosophy and Public Policy

This information is for the 2025/26 session.

Course Convenor

Availability

The course offers critical reflection on the design and evaluation of public policies from the perspective of moral and political philosophy. To this end, we study a range of theories and concepts that are used in policy evaluation. We often discuss and evaluate them by focusing on specific policy proposals. The course addresses ethical questions concerning public policy of the following kind:

• What is a correct public measure of well-being?
• Should people be left to bear the consequences of their free choices?
• May the government force you to buy health insurance?
• Is torture ever justified?
• Do prosperous countries have a right to close their borders to immigrants from poor countries?
• Should hate speech be protected by freedom of speech?
• Should the development of new drugs be left to private companies rewarded by patent protection?
• What is the optimal population size and what policies may the state pursue in order to achieve it?
• Should higher education be financed by student loans or general taxation?
• Should we be free to act as we choose so long as we do not harm others?
• How should we distribute the burdens of military service?
• Should children be given the vote?

This course will use Cadmus for submitting assessments. This platform is currently being evaluated by LSE for AI-resilient assessment. For more information, visit Cadmus Assessment Edit Tracking - Guidance for Students.

15 hours of seminars and 10 hours of lectures in the Winter Term.
15 hours of seminars and 10 hours of lectures in the Autumn Term.

This course has a reading week in Week 6 of Autumn and Winter Term.

Students will be expected to produce 1 formative essay on AT material and 1 formative essay on WT material. The formative essay on AT material will likely require the use of edit tracking software. If so, students will be required to write their essay on a given platform. Appropriate training and instruction will be given.

A detailed list of readings will be available on Moodle. The following is an indicative sample of readings that may be discussed in the course.

• Greg Bognar and Iwao Hirose (2014). The Ethics of Health Care Rationing.
• A. Voorhoeve (2018) 'May a Government Mandate More Comprehensive Insurance than People Want for Themselves?' Oxford Studies in Political Philosophy.
• Michael Rustin (2016), 'The neoliberal university and its alternatives', Soundings
• Ronald Dworkin et al (1997) 'Assisted Suicide: The Philosophers' Brief'
• Carol Kates (2004). 'Reproductive Liberty and Overpopulation' Environmental Ethic
• Jonathan Wolff (2011), Ethics and Public Policy: A Philosophical Inquiry
• Joseph Carens (1987), 'Aliens and Citizens: The Case for Open Borders', The Review of Politics
• Jeff McMahan (2008), 'Torture in Theory and Practice', Public Affairs Quarterly
• Michael J. Robillard and Bradley J. Strawser (2016), ‘The Moral Exploitation of Soldiers’, Public Affairs Quarterly
• Annabelle Lever (2014), ‘When the Philosopher Enters the Room’, Philosophy and Public Issues

Additional readings will be available on Moodle.

Exam (50%), duration: 180 Minutes in the Spring exam period

Essay (50%, 2000 words)

The summative essay will likely require the use of edit tracking software. If so, students will be required to write their essay on a given platform. Appropriate training and instruction will be given.