Day 10: Liberty, Security, and Symbols

Daniel J. Mallinson

School of Public AffairsPenn State Harrisburgmallinson@psu.edu

PUBPL 304

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Road map

Discuss liberty-security trade-off

Start discussing problem definition

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Goals

Goals in Public Policy Making

Equity

Efficiency

Welfare

Liberty

Security

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Liberty and Security

Ideals

Government needs to balance the community and the individual

Mill: Can curb liberty to protect others from harm

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The Internet and Insecurity

What types of harm/insecurities can be inflicted via theInternet?

Figure: “2012 Internet Census Size” by Cody Hofstetter, CC BY-SA 4.0

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Definitions

Insecurity

“worry that something bad will happen.”

Security

Guaranteed absence of bad things; a lack of worry

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Three Concepts of Security

Psychological

State of mind over things outsideof our control

Political

Security comes from elite policymaking

Scientific

Mathematical assessment of risk

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Psychological Security

Insecurity is a feeling (dread,anxiety, powerlessness)

Risk is ever present, insecurityis not

Socially constructed

Some issues easier todramatize (murder vs.climate change)

Risk is a matter ofperspective

Figure: Chernobyl Pripyat by Max Pixel, CC0

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Scientific Analysis

Risk

Likelihood of something badhappening

Expected Value

Product of whether(likelihood) and how bad

Standardized unit for settingpriorities

Figure: Source: Hackmageddon

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Political Response

DO Something

Want to be seen as taking action

Can lead to overreach

Figure: Source: Symantec 2017

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Liberty and Security

How can we balance the community and the individualwhen it comes to insecurities/harms that emerge from theInternet?

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Problem Definition

Symbols

Numbers

Causes

Interests

Decisions

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Symbols

Politics is partly about telling a good story

Basic definition: something that stands for something else

Symbols tell different stories to different audiences

What does this symbol mean?

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Symbols

Politics is partly about telling a good story

Basic definition: something that stands for something else

Symbols tell different stories to different audiences

What does this symbol mean?

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Let’s Tell a Story

Narrative Story

Primary means for contesting policy problems (Stone, 158)

Beginning

Middle

End

Change

Heroes, villains, victims

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Types of Stories

Change

Power

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Change

Rising and Decline

beginning, middle, end, heroes, villains, victims, change

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Power

Helplessness and Control

Common element in all is the assertion of choice

Beginning, middle, end, heroes, villains, victims, change

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Methods of Storytelling

Synecdoche

Metaphor

Ambiguity

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Synecdoche

Figure of speech where awhole is represented by one ofits parts

Give single case to “typical”status

Horror stories

E.g., welfare queens,ticking-time-bomb terrorist,death panels

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Metaphors

Draw a comparison betweenone thing and another

Imply that B should betreated like A, because A andB are similar

Examples: living organism,natural law, machines andmechanical devices, wedgesand inclines, containers,disease, war, names andlabels

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Ambiguity

Most important feature of a symbol

Provides unity and maneuvering room

Both sides can claim victory

Meaning can change over time

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