A Taxonomy for Organizing the Core Concepts According to Their Underlying Principles

Abstract

This article organizes and classifies the 18 core concepts. There are nine overarching principles into which the concepts fit: life, liberty, equality, dignity, family as foundation, community, capacity, individualization, and accountability. These in turn reflect three approaches to policy: the Constitutional approach, consisting of the principles of life, liberty, and equality; the Ethical approach, consisting of the principles of dignity, family as foundation, and community; and the administrative approach, consisting of the principles of capacity, individualization, and accountability. There is also a set of Professional principles, which the article illustrates with examples from the field of medicine/health care. Finally, the article demonstrates how the organization and classification of the core concepts create a wholistic, unified approach to policy.