Unintended Consequences of Social Change

 

We’ve covered much of the material in this chapter.  Here is what I think is the most important and interesting material from this chapter.

 

All social changes have unintended consequences. Some positive and some negative.  Unintended consequences tend to increase over time.  Below are several examples.

 

 

Intended Social Change

Unintended Consequence

Prohibition

 

Black market, organizational crime

Drug Enforcement Administration

Increase in domestic marijuana production.  50% of marijuana consumed in the US is produced domestically.  Marijuana is the biggest cash crop in California, Oregon and Hawaii. 

Japanese Car Tariffs

Increase in profits for Japanese automakers. Japanese then invested profits in companies and improved product.

Welfare programs

Cycle of poverty, higher divorce rates

Donation of emergency food in Guatemala

Ruined Guatemala’s grain market.  There was no need for grain donations.  The surplus after the donation forced the price of grain down dramatically.  People lost their jobs and non-agricultural companies subsequently went out of business when consumers not able to buy products.

Denmark eased pornography laws

Decrease in child molestation.  Evidently, would-be offenders masturbated to pornography instead.

 

Automotive transportation

·                culture of independence more solidified

·                increase in inter and intra-state commerce

·                more young people get jobs

·                more young people have sex

·                increased mobility

·                crime rates increase

·                pollution increases

·                deaths due to auto accidents increase dramatically (leading cause of death for ages 1-34; source = National Center For Injury Prevention And Control)

·                time spent in traffic = 1.25 billion hours per year, 1.4 billion gallons of gas per year

 

 

Unintended consequences of Hurricane Floyd?