SCS 200

Jasmine Eaddy

Southern New Hampshire University

5/27/2021

Identification of the social science principles relevant to the issue and how they apply to the issue

The social science issue I would like to learn more about is why some of the people in society argue against free things. From a psychological perspective, it is advisable that people work for what they want and not giving it to them for free. However, it is ironic that the people against giving things for free are supportive of free healthcare and free education. Where should the line be drawn between the acceptable things to be given and those that a person should work for? The need for free education and free healthcare and how they will affect the education and the healthcare sector will be evaluated. The social sciences principles that are relevant to the issues under discussion will be identified as well as their applicability.

A psychologist would pose the question, “Why should free healthcare be given to people that do not want to benefit from healthcare services?” or “Why should someone be forced into free education against their will?” From an analytical view, it does not make sense to avail things to people who are not willing. However, there are no specific criteria that may be used to identify the people that are willing and those that are not willing to benefit from the free services that are offered by the government. Although at a young age we were told that nothing is for free, it does not indicate that people cannot receive social services for free. Free education and free healthcare services is a social service that is provided by the government to the residents. However, the indication that it is a free education and free healthcare does not indicate that it is free. The government has to undergo the required costs to ensure that the services are available to the citizens. Thus, in such a case, the cost is transferred from the receiver of the services to the government. Moreover, the government has an obligation to take care of its citizens. To understand how that works, social science principles may be used.

One of the principles of the social sciences that is relevant to this issue is that the objective of action should maximize the benefit while minimizing the harm. This principle indicates that in all social sciences-related activities, the main objective should be to increase the benefits that will be attained by the target of the activity (Dingwall et al., 2017). Additionally, the harm that is derived from such an activity should be reduced.

The social science principle of reducing harm while increasing the benefits applies to the issue under question. The aim of the provision of free healthcare services and education is for people to access the services and to promote equality in the provision of the services. There are a lot of people that may not afford to pay for the cost of education as well as the cost of healthcare. To ensure that such people do not suffer, the government has introduced free healthcare services as well as free education. Thus, this social initiative aims at maximizing the benefits of the people in the community and society. That is because many people will access healthcare services as well as accessing education that would not have had access to the services. Thus, the provision of free education and healthcare services is in tandem with the principle of maximization of benefits.

The social science principle of maximizing the benefits and minimizing the harm acknowledges the presence of harm in social initiatives and social issues. In this case, the harm may be represented by the costs incurred and the challenges that may be met. When providing free healthcare services and free education, the US government foots the costs of the services on behalf of its citizens and residents. Thus, in this case, the social initiative should aim at having minimal costs. Medicare for all is the social initiative that aims at providing free healthcare in the US. According to Kenneth Thorpe at Emory University, the cost of the social initiative is $2.4 trillion annually. The Urban Institute estimates the cost to be $ 2.5 trillion a year and the Committee for Responsible Federal Budget projects the cost to be $2.8 trillion annually. That translates to almost 16% of the GDP of the USA (Ghilarducci, 2018). To put that into perspective, the costs of free healthcare will constitute almost a fifth of the GDP of the US. In addition to the costs incurred in promoting free education in the US, the costs of providing free healthcare and free education will be very costly to the government.

Additionally, the provision of free education may lead to the deterioration of the quality of education that is provided. That is because it might result in poor infrastructure and unavailability of the required resources. The instructors may be paid poorly thus not promoting quality education. Thus, as the government focuses on the provision of free education, they should ensure that the schools have the required infrastructure as well as the resources needed. Although the costs may look high, in the long run, they will be reduced.

In a nutshell, the social science principle of maximizing the benefit and minimizing the costs is applicable in the social issue of free education and free healthcare in the US.

References

Dingwall, R., Iphofen, R., Lewis, J., Oates, J., & Emmerich, N. (2017). Towards common principles for social science research ethics: A discussion document for the Academy of Social Sciences. In Finding common ground: Consensus in research ethics across the social sciences. Emerald Publishing Limited.

Ghilarducci, T. (2018). What id Medicare For All? Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/teresaghilarducci/2018/07/16/what-is-medicare-for-all/?sh=516d4792bd0b