WINTER 2012 - National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and ...

Review by Michael W. Popejoy
is morality policy? They are not sure, and neither is anyone else. Working
definitions and classifications are still under development, but nothing appears
widely agreed upon. Lowi argues, “Classification is required before analysis can
proceed” (p. xxxi). Christopher Z. Mooney is quoted as stating, “Morality
policy is grounded in political debate over ‘first principles,’ where at least one
side to the controversy or both portrays the issue in moral terms and uses
moral arguments” (p. xxxi).
However, maybe competing for primacy in the future is the concept of
“wicked problems,” which are social problems defined as “having a high degree
of uncertainty and a profound lack of agreement on values . . . a wicked problem
has no optimal solution, the decision maker must seek other measures of success”
(p. ix in Wicked Environmental Problems: Managing Uncertainty and Conflict,
by Balint, Stewart, Desai, & Walters, 2011, Island Press). Their work may be
inadvertently putting a whole new spin on morality politics and policy.
Of course, what would a book on morality controversies and American
politics be without a case or chapter on abortion? This is a controversy not soon
to be resolved in American society; yes, maybe a truly wicked problem. Ruth
Ann Strickland of Appalachian State University provides a balanced treatment of
abortion aptly titled, “Abortion: Pro-Choice versus Pro-Life.” She begins her case
with Roe v. Wade and the many unanswered policy questions that the landmark
legal case left for policy makers to ultimately attempt to decide (however
unsuccessfully): “When does life begin?” and “When should the fetus be given
the chance to develop and thrive?” She thoroughly addresses the judicial role,
public opinion, special interest groups, and their impact on the presidency, the
bureaucracy, Congress, and even Federalism. There is enough stuff here to keep
a class debating for most of the semester, if not the rest of the academic year; yet,
there is more to come in this book. What are the solutions, and why are they so
elusive? Will American society ever agree on a rational solution? Is that
even possible?
After the abortion debate dies down in the classroom, then we arrive at
such issues as the death penalty (“Just Punishment or Legalized Homicide?”),
followed closely by gay rights, hate crimes, gun control, global warming, and
even a case on animal rights if there is anything left of the semester after covering
the previous subjects of lively debate. The cases are thoroughly researched with
extensive citations, and additional references are included at the end of each
case along with Internet resources for students to expand their information for
class discussions.
I always examine books to decide whether they are applicable to being
adopted as a course’s main text or as a secondary reader. At first, this slim book
(270 pages) would seem to be a companion reader to a main text; however, if
professors are using the theoretical concepts provided by Lowi and the editors
at the beginning of the book and directing lectures and discussions to the
240 Journal of Public Affairs Education