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The Right Kind of Hand Up

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By DOUGLAS J. BESHAROV

Published: November 23, 2007

In an op-ed article, "The War For GOP's Soul" (Other Views, Nov. 3), Michael Gerson argued that "the Republican Party is in the midst of an ideological identity crisis." Perhaps because of his experiences within the Bush administration, Gerson falsely portrayed the choice as between libertarianism (or "anti-government conservatism") and the "social teachings of the Jewish and Christian traditions," arguing that the former ignores the plight of the most disadvantaged. But that misunderstands the nature of the true conservative's reluctance to rush headlong into large, new government programs.

Most Americans want to help their fellow citizens, want an end to unnecessary suffering and racial discrimination, want to see greater equality of opportunity - and recognize government's vital role in advancing these and other social goals.

But compared with liberals - and here's the point that Gerson did not make - conservatives are more sensitive to the limits of government's ability to ameliorate social problems. I say "more sensitive," for intensity is the point. Many liberals are concerned about the size and efficacy of government programs; they are just less worried about them than conservatives are, or they may feel more strongly about the need to "do something."

Most conservatives are prepared to use government to further social goals but only in the absence of viable private solutions. They expect government programs to be less efficient, less effective, difficult to terminate and more likely to have unforeseen (and possibly harmful) consequences.

Conservatives believe that no-strings-attached assistance has often been a catastrophe - creating even more dependency and a fertile ground for social problems. Liberals are oblivious to such concerns or are more worried about leaving someone out of the social safety net. (Think welfare reform.)

Everyone seems eager to harness family, church and other voluntary associations to promote social progress. But true deference means letting the institutions do it "their way." Conservatives have great faith in the ability of individuals - including the poor - to make sound decisions about their lives. Private choice is a value in itself, but when properly channeled, the individual choices of thousands about the services they receive translate into market forces many times more efficient - and less political - than the top-down decision making of most social programs.

When a problem seems bad enough, people often want to "do something," whether or not it is unproven or unlikely to succeed. Being conservative sometimes means seeing problems and deciding that nothing can be done - at least not immediately. (That should not be the end of the inquiry. Being conservative includes a commitment to experimentation - even with ideas with which one does not agree - coupled with rigorous and honest evaluation). These principles actually apply to any sound approach to social policy-making.

Douglas J. Besharov is a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and a professor at the University of Maryland School of Public Policy. He wrote this column for The Washington Post.

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