News
PUBLISHED: 7NOV2017
Christopher Ragan, the inaugural director of McGill University's Max Bell School of Public Policy, discussed the key issues leaders face in policy-making in an editorial in the Globe and Mail.
Newspapers are continually highlighting debates over public policy. Continuing concerns about Canada's trading relationship with the United States, how and whether carbon emissions will be priced across the country, and the taxation of privately controlled corporations are only three of many current examples. The stories invariably represent the competing views of the advocates and opponents of these policies.
Despite the often passionate arguments from those on either side of any issue, we need to recognize that there is rarely a "right" thing to do when it comes to public policy. There is plenty of room for debate. But that doesn't mean that anything goes. How should we think about "good policy"?