Social policy outcomes

We are living in a time in American society where the population is very polarized and rather than debate what is right, people would rather argue about who is right.

Social policies have become politicized regardless of the social consequences those policies produce, good and bad, intended and unintended.

Social science has evolved over the last 100 years and measurement techniques of key indicators are much more accurate at determining what social policies produce better outcomes. Social engineering is no longer so much a matter of ideology and preferences but rather whether the policies improve the quality of life for whom, when, where, and how?

davidgmarkham.subtack will be publishing articles on Mondays, and sometimes more often, describing the consequences of social policies so that citizens can make more informed decisions about what social policies are in their best interests, the society we live in, and all of life on planet earth.

Real time social science research can be done comparing the quality of life indicators in Red States and Blue States in the US.

Mother Jones magazine has reported

“The states that have enacted the harshest abortion restrictions, banning it outright or after six weeks, are, it turns out, the worst equipped to deal with the consequences of forcing people into parenthood. These 17 states, controlled by Republicans, apart from one Democrat governor, tend to rank among the nation’s worst in maternal mortality, child wellness, and food security. They offer less access to affordable health care, too, which makes it harder for women, for example, to get birth control prescriptions.”

Those states are Idaho, South Dakota, Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, Indiana, Missouri, Georgia, South Carolina, Florida, Iowa, and Arkansas.

There are other social indicators I have studies to determine how New York State compares to other states. New York as the lowest DUI mortality rate of any state in the US. It also as the third lowest number of suicides, and the fifth lowest gun mortality rates. The policies and services in New York State which also protects women’s freedoms when it comes to making decisions about their reproductive health is also one of the best in the nation. New York State is also the first state in the union to mandate paid prenatal leave.

Social policies have direct ramifications for the public and social health of individuals, families, communities, states, and nations. This observation isn’t about political ideology, but about what works. Policies have consequences for populations of people.