Question

pervisity thesis

Answer 1

The perversity thesis maintains that a proposed reform will yield the opposite of its intended effect, "this action will produce, via a chain of unintended consequences, the exact contrary of the objective being proclaimed an pursued. Its backbone resides in history, and reactionaries use the perversity thesis to combat proposed legislation and changes. Hirschman's disclaimer on the perverse effect is that "it is unlikely to exist 'out there' to anything like the extent that it is claimed (by those professing the thesis). The perverse effect is a special and extreme case of the unintended consequence," or failure of foresight.
Examples of society desires for change, Everything Backfires:
1:Attempts to reach for liberty will make society sink into slavery.
2:The quest for democracy will produce oligarchy and tyranny.
3:Only half the population of the USA even votes.
The perversity thesis is both good and bad, and true to an extent:
Although the perversity thesis is often looked at as shallow and the easy way out to argue against a reform, it is a valuable tool that should be available for use. Unemployment insurance may induce laziness, the former employee may not intensify his search for a new job. At the same time, maybe the time will mean he finds a better job because he is not rushed to continue a stable, if unsatisfactory, income or job. In conclusion I leave you with a question and an exclamation. Hirschman asks, "Could they be embracing the perverse effect for the express purpose of feeling good about themselves?" Finally, Dr. Stockmann (plays hero) in An Enemy of the People (1882) puts it best in this seemingly questionable ejaculation, "The minority is always right!"