title: Should policy ethics come in two colours: green or white?
abstract: When writing about policy, do you think in green or white? If not, I recommend that you do. I suggest that writers and journal editors should explicitly label every policy ethics paper either 'green' or 'white'. A green paper is an unconstrained exploration of a policy question. The controversial 'After-birth abortion' paper is an example. Had it been labelled as 'green', readers could have understood what Giubilini and Minerva explained later: that it was a discussion of philosophical ideas, and not a policy proposal advocating infanticide. A serious policy proposal should be labelled by writer(s) and editor(s) as 'white'. Its purpose should be to influence policy. In order to influence policy, I suggest three essential, and two desirable, characteristics of any white paper. Most importantly, a white paper should be set in the context in which the policy is to be made and applied.
authors: Centre for Social Ethics & Policy, University of Manchester, M13 9PL, UK. malcolm@oswald.com
authors: Malcolm
authors: M
authors: Oswald
mesh_terms: D000028:Abortion, Induced / Q000941:ethics; D026688:Bioethical Issues; D003657:Decision Making; D034462:Dissent and Disputes; D035081:Editorial Policies; D028663:Ethical Theory; D026822:Ethicists; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007237:Infanticide / Q000941:ethics; D017008:Negotiating; D010506:Periodicals as Topic / Q000592:standards*; D011057:Politics; D011639:Public Opinion; D011640:Public Policy; D009927:Tissue and Organ Procurement / Q000941:ethics; D014956:Writing
keywords: Philosophical Ethics; Policy Guidelines/Inst. Review Boards/Review Cttes.; Public Policy; Publication Ethics