The trajectory of public policy in Puerto Rico reveals a deep-rooted reliance on government as a remedy for all social problems, writes Ojel Rodríguez Burgos.
The prevailing paradigm in Puerto Rican politics sees government as the solution to all the imperfections or ills of society, writes Ojel Rodríguez Burgos. Photo by: Xavier Araújo | GFR Media xavier.araujo@gfrmedia.com Xavier Araujo (Xavier Araújo)
Despite the alternation between the two main parties in power, public policy and political action in Puerto Rico have followed a constant trajectory for decades. This trend seems immutable, even when examining the emerging proposals of the largest political force in opposition to bipartisanship on the Island, the Alianza.
This phenomenon should not surprise us, as political actors in Puerto Rico have been dominated by a simple paradigm for political action: for any problem, there is a government solution.
This paradigm dominates Puerto Rican politics, which sees government as the solution to all of society's imperfections or ills. It is a paradigm that we must change if Puerto Rico is to be a prosperous society. This change must begin at the theoretical level, recognizing that we live in a civil association of individualists, in which we pursue our happiness and moral identity within the Rule of Law.
The trajectory of public policy in Puerto Rico reveals a deep-rooted reliance on government as a remedy for all social problems, writes Ojel Rodríguez Burgos.
And then, in the practical mode, in which the policy conversation occurs, a new paradigm is required to govern the analysis of legitimate political action. This new paradigm begins with identifying the problem. Political behavior on the island is dominated by the impulse to perfect society and save Puerto Ricans from all evils. This has kept us trapped in the simplistic paradigm mentioned earlier, where large areas of Puerto Rican human behavior are politicized.
To change this scenario, it is crucial to adopt a vision of modern life as an adventure where both victories and failures are inevitable due to our fallible human condition. Furthermore, it requires adopting a narrow definition of “politics,” where governing does not mean saving the world, but rather the conversation about what the Rule of Law should be within which individuals interact in society.
The second step in this new paradigm is to determine whether the problem stems from government action or inaction. If political behavior in Puerto Rico has responded to every problem with government interventions, it is clear that many of our problems arise from misguided interventions in human behavior. Therefore, if the problem is the result of government action, the appropriate policy response would be to limit such intervention and rely on the ability of Puerto Ricans to manage their own affairs.
Finally, if the problem arises from government inaction, the government must act. This political action must align with the limited vision of “the polity” and be robust enough to protect individualism, but without compromising it.
In addition, the political actor must be guided, though not exclusively, by principles of prudence supported by philosophers such as David Hume, recognizing the complexity, diversity and richness of human behavior.
The trajectory of public policy in Puerto Rico reveals a deep-rooted confidence in government as a remedy for all social problems. However, changing this paradigm to one that advocates a limited, realistic and prudent policy, where government intervenes only when indispensable, represents a crucial step towards the type of public policy that Puerto Rico requires.
This article was originally published in Spanish in El Nuevo Dia.
