Moral Principle of Subsidiarity
Definition:
Decision making power and responsibility should reside at the lowest possible level of social organization. Higher levels of social organization should give as much help as necessary to help lower levels perform their tasks, but should not take the power & responsibility away from them.
Explanation:
Levels of social organization begin with the family, the foundational social unit. Gaudium Veritatis teaches that society is created by the cooperation and interdependence of families. A map of social order might look something like this (listed lowest to highest level):
- Family
- Neighborhood
- City / Local Community
- County
- State
- Nation
- International Community
This list is illustrative rather than definitive. Obviously there are levels between these levels, and other lists might look completely different. However, you can see how the level of social organization grows from directly within the control of individuals to more distant to the individual.
Individuals and families must be as directly involved as possible in (for example) trying to make decisions about the development of culture or in finding a solution to poverty. Obviously, families do not have the resources or the level of influence to do it all themselves. That’s where the higher levels of social organization such as government can step in to help. However, their goal should always be to aid the lower levels of social organization to do the task, never to do the task in their place.
Application
- The Constitution states that educational decisions are to be made primarily at the state level. Most school districts make decisions at the local community level, which is even better.
- State and federal restrictions on funding for schools and other local institutions interfere with subsidiarity and should be used very sparingly.
- Solutions for health care, poverty and other social concerns should first come from the local community. Federal programs should help community organizations rather than seeking to alleviate the problem directly.
- Care of children should happen in the family, where parents know the unique needs, abilities and personalities of their children. Childcare and schools cannot treat children as individuals in the way families can.