Normative and non-normative concepts: Paternalism and libertarian paternalism

This chapter concerns the normativity of the concepts of paternalism and libertarian paternalism. The first concept is central to evaluation of public health policy, but its meaning is controversial. The second concept is equally controversial and has received much attention recently. It may or may not shape the future evaluation of public health policy. In order to facilitate honest and fruitful debate, I consider three conceptual approaches to these concepts, in terms of their normativity. Concepts, I claim, may be non-normative, normatively charged, or normative in that they involve more complex relationships between values or duties. While the last approach is often best, other approaches may be appropriate depending on the context and purpose of discussion. The chapter’s conceptual investigation is illustrated in application to two public health policies – a tax on consumption of fat and the encouragement of health-promoting food displays in restaurants and supermarkets.