====== Incentives and Consequences ======

Protect people from the consequences of their actions?  Somewhat.  The unpredictability of social and economic change ([[analysis:physical:prediction_is_intractable]]) means that people who made sensible and socially approved choices may find themselves out of luck.  Consider workers in the US manufacturing industries.  We are also not nearly as perfect in our mental functioning as we imagine (see [[analysis:bias:positive_illusions]]), and tiny lapses of attention can have drastic consequences for ourselves or others (consider driving.) We may also choose government policies that protect people from the consequences of others' actions.  For example, programs that benefit children of the poor (such as [[wp>Temporary_Assistance_for_Needy_Families |TANF]]) can be seen as protecting children.

positive illusions
unpredictability
consequences to others
compassion, marginal utility of wealth, health costs of inequality
safety net analogy


{{tag>social policy rough}}