Kinder Politics | AOK Maine

KINDNESS IN POLITICS AND PUBLIC POLICY

Policy debates often revolve around whether proposed policies are just or fair - important attributes to be sure - but to create the kind of communities we all want to live in, equal emphasis must be placed on whether policy proposals are kind. Assessing the kindness of public policy is a new frontier. It would open up a whole new type of debate. It would force decisionmakers to explore what kindness means to them, how it might differ for different stakeholders, and how kindness can be integrated with justice, such as in Restorative Justice practices.

Similarly, it is time we put an emphasis on kindness in the political arena, but not a touchy-feely sort of ethos. AOK Maine is exploring the notion, of a courageous and "muscular" approach to support and challenge politicians to undertake a "Radical Kindness" approach to public service, both in the electoral process as well as in officeholding.

AOK Maine will be exploring kindness in public policymaking by convening a working group made up of faculty and students from Maine's higher education public policy institutes, public policy think-tanks, local officials and state legislators, and political activists, to research and conduct pilot efforts on the intersection of kindness and public policy.

As part of that effort, AOK Maine will seek to organize a series of election debates in the Fall of 2024 for candidates to local and state office using a framework of radical kindness and moral courage.

These are just the initial efforts we are undertaking. We will explore through the working group an expanded program for Maine in the years ahead, including potentially formalizing a Kindness in Public Policy and Politics Consortium or Institute.

The Power of Kindness: We can choose to have more civil and compassionate politics. Rural America is the perfect place to start. Maine State Senator Chloe Maxmin:

"Between 2018 and 2020, I felt like there was this precipitous drop

in kindness and civility. I could feel it when I went to talk to people.

And it was so tough to see it happen because one of the reasons

I moved home [after college] is because I loved the kindness that

I was raised with, these really beautiful values and the acceptance

that I felt growing up in Nobleboro [Maine]. We were trying to build

a politics that unites, but the voter doesn’t see that. They just see

another horrible politician knocking on their door while they’re feeding

their kids, and they want you to go away... " Click to read more.

PUBLIC POLICY AND KINDNESS RESOURCES

Kindness in public policy?

Kindness is an undervalued trait in public policy