Murray's Three Laws of Social Programs

From Charles Murray in Losing Ground: American Social Policy, 1950–1980. Summarized in this article, The 3 laws of social programs

Murray's Three Laws of Social Programs:

1. The Law of Imperfect Selection: Any objective rule that defines eligibility for a social transfer program will irrationally exclude some persons.

2. The Law of Unintended Rewards: Any social transfer increases the net value of being in the condition that prompted the transfer.

3. The Law of Net Harm: The less likely it is that the unwanted behavior will change voluntarily, the more likely it is that a program to induce change will cause net harm.