Distinguishing between Normative and Empirical Statements

1. Distinguishing between Normative and Empirical Statements Dr. Afxendiou AP Comparative Government and Politics Sachem North High School

2. Where are we? Unit I – Introduction to Comparative Politics • Sovereignty, Authority and Power • Political Institutions • Citizens, Society and the State • Public Policy • Comparison: Sources and Analysis of Data • Political and Economic Change

3. Examine the two statements below: 1. Most adults in Mexico should desire that their government provide public safety. 2. Most adults in Mexico desire that their government provide public safety.

4. The first statement is normative. It is a value statement. It claims that some condition (in this case the desire of Mexicans that their government provide public safety) "ought to occur." Value statements declare that a condition is good or bad, or that one condition is better than another.

5. "Democracy is the best form of government"

6. The second statement is empirical. It asserts that most adults in Mexico do, in fact, desire that their government provide public safety. A scientific study of the adult population in Mexico can confirm or falsify this assertion. We call assertions about the empirical world hypotheses. • Hypotheses - they are value free and that they can be tested through observation. A statement is value free when it does not contain a preference for one outcome over another.

7. Write a pro and an anti argument • Should the government should put women in jail if they are pregnant and are alcohol dependent. • How do you settle this argument?

8. The empirical question that settles the argument is whether or not a government policy to incarcerate pregnant women who depend on alcohol will increase or reduce the probability of healthy births.

9. Pro • So we bring the empirical and the normative together to establish our position: • We can summarize your argument with three statements, two normative and one empirical: • I prefer healthy babies. (normative). • A policy to incarcerate alcohol-dependent women will increase the probability of healthy babies. (empirical) • Therefore, the government should incarcerate alcohol-dependent women. (Normative policy conclusion based on normative preference and the truth of the empirical statement.)

10. Con • Again, we bring the empirical and the normative together to establish our position: • I prefer healthy babies. (normative). • A policy to incarcerate alcohol-dependent women will decrease the probability of healthy babies. • Therefore, the government should not incarcerate alcohol-dependent women. (Normative policy conclusion based on normative preference and the truth of the empirical statement.)

11. “Should a fundamentalist Christian who rejects the theory of evolution be allowed to teach biology in public high schools?” • Normative preference (outcome preference) • Empirical hypothesis • Normative policy conclusion based on normative preference and the truth of an empirical statement – logical conclusion (Therefore…should…)

12. Should the United States adopt a constitutional amendment forcing Congress to balance the federal government’s budget? • Normative (outcome) preference • Empirical hypothesis • Normative policy conclusion based on normative preference and the truth of an empirical statement – logical conclusion (Therefore…should…)

13. Summary • Normative and empirical statements are fundamentally different, but each is necessary for political discourse. • Normative statements describe the type of actions and outcomes we value. They deal with what is good or bad, what ought to occur, and what should not occur. • Empirical statements describe or predict what actually occurs. Hypotheses are one important category of empirical statements. A hypothesis is an assertion that empirical evidence can either support or reject.