Policy April 25, 2016

Issues Why act? Fairness Effect on economic growth Evaluating proposed solutions Fairness Effectiveness Relation to political ideology

Individual and society-1 “It may be that social policy, by itself, is not capable of eradicating deeply entrenched patterns of child rearing and social interaction that pass on personal incapacity—criminal violence, promiscuous sexuality, early unwed childbearing, academic failure—from one generation to the next.... the moral life of the hard core urban poor will have to be transformed before some of these most marginalized souls will be able to seize such opportunity as may exist.” Glenn Loury

Individual and society-2 “Professor Loury... says that it will do no good to offer jobs to people who have become unfit for work. I say that it will do not good to tell the same people that they should become fit for work when there are no jobs to be had. Both of these assertions can be correct….” Robert Solow

Overweight and obesity among adults NOTE: Overweight but not obese is body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 25 but less than 30; grade 1 obesity is BMI greater than or equal to 30 but less than 35; grade 2 obesity is BMI greater than or equal to 35 but less than 40; grade 3 obesity is BMI greater than or equal to 40. SOURCE: CDC/NCHS, Health, United States, 2012, Figure 11. Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.