Pluralism and Public Policy

To the Center for Public Justice, what is primarily at stake in the faith-based initiative is not money but rather religious liberty. The measure of success for the initiative’s reform of government policy and practice is not the number of dollars received by faith-based organizations but how robustly the religious character and expression of faith-based organizations, and the religious freedom of beneficiaries, are protected when government collaborates with private social-service providers.

Underlying this view is a Christian philosophy of public justice, which advocates a strong but limited government that respects the autonomy and responsibilities of civil-society institutions and honors equally the convictions of all citizens. In Catholic social teaching, this view is termed “subsidiarity.”  In the Dutch neo-Calvinist or Kuyperian tradition, it is called “sphere sovereignty.” The entire perspective might best be called a Christian-democratic view.

Policy disputes about welfare and social services often revolve around the question of more or less: Should the government do more for people, or less—because too much government action robs people and private organizations of their own responsibilities? This question of the appropriate scope of government action is vital. But it isn’t the only vital question. As important are these other questions: When the government acts, does it respect the legitimate responsibilities of other organizations that are also active in an area of concern? When the government collaborates with private organizations, does it safeguard their distinctive characteristics, including religious characteristics and mission? These latter questions are highlighted by the faith-based initiative. It is concerned not only with whether the government does enough to respond to social needs but also whether, in acting, the government supports and respects private organizations that also respond to social needs.

To learn the latest about what's new in faith-based initiative policy and how it is working in practice, visit the Equal Treatment page or explore using the links in the sidebar above.

For more on the Center’s perspective, see these pages: 

For more on sphere sovereignty and subsidiarity in the context of social services, see:

For more on the principled pluralism approach in public policy, see: