To what extent should government be permitted to intervene in personal
choices? In grappling with this question, liberal theory seeks to
balance individual liberty with the advancement of collective goals such
as equality. Too often, however, society's obligation to provide
meaningful opportunities is overshadowed by its commitment to personal
freedom. Tough Choices charts a middle course between freedom-oriented
anti-interventionism and equality-oriented social welfare, presenting a
way to structure choices that equalize opportunities while protecting
the freedom of individuals to choose among them.
Drawing on insights from behavioral economics, psychology, and
educational theory, Sigal Ben-Porath makes the case for structured
paternalism, which is based on the understanding that state intervention
is often inevitable, and that therefore theorists and policymakers must
focus on the extent to which it can productively be applied, as well as
on the forms it should take in different social domains. Ben-Porath
explores how structured paternalism can play a role in providing equal
opportunities for individual choice in an array of personal and social
contexts, including the intimate lives of adults, parent-child
relationships, school choice, and intercultural relations.
Tough Choices demonstrates how structured paternalism can inform more
egalitarian social policies, ones that acknowledge personal, social, and
cultural differences as well as the challenges all individuals may face
when they make a choice.
