One of the key insights about government organization since the industrial nation-state emerged is that entities between families and the distant central government are essential to human flourishing and societal health. These groups—neighborhoods, parishes, charities, fraternal associations, towns, states—form us, support us, provide a sense of belonging, preserve culture, offer ways to serve, contribute to our identities, and more. Without such close-to-home, caring groups, humans feel less secure and end up looking for meaning and belonging in faraway, impersonal entities or abstractions. This insight should inform our thinking about the government’s role in solving today’s family problems, including low birth rates, low marriage rates, falling two-parent-family rates, and more.
The relationship between the government and mediating bodies is at the heart of some of the most valuable approaches to policymaking. For instance, what I call “evolutionary classical liberalism” sees free people organically creating and adapting an array of associations to meet community needs. These products of liberty deserve state protection.
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Andy Smarick is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute. Follow him on Twitter here.
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