The Mountain State has spent decades pursuing the pathways to economic growth. Policymakers debate taxes, subsidies, infrastructure investments, workforce programs, social services, and regulatory reforms. These discrete policy domains matter, but they bypass fundamental questions about the purpose of public policy.
At its best, public policy should cultivate the conditions for human flourishing. Typically, we proxy for that by measuring economic growth. It’s easy to focus on the importance of growth because it increases personal incomes or expands government revenues. However, the magic happens where economic growth expands opportunities for individuals, families, and communities to build meaningful lives. Freedom is the mechanism that makes this economic growth possible. Human dignity is the principle that gives economic growth purpose.
The connection between freedom and flourishing isn’t just philosophically important. People thrive when they can make choices, pursue goals, take risks, learn from failure, and contribute to their communities. Research across the social sciences consistently highlights the importance of autonomy, opportunity, and social participation in helping individuals live meaningful lives. Human flourishing requires both personal agency and the institutions that enable people to exercise that agency.
In West Virginia, that insight carries particular significance. The stories Mountaineers tell about their history are rooted in resilience, strong communities, and a deep sense of self-reliance. At the same time, these stories are tinged with economic hardship, population decline, and barriers to opportunity. Too often, policy discussions focus on addressing material outcomes while overlooking the fundamental importance of empowering people to shape their own futures. Put differently, policy discussions focus too much on the symptoms rather than the underlying ailment.
This is where the concept of dignity becomes essential.
In the work I’ve been a part of at the Cardinal Institute, our Dignity Project seeks to understand the lived experiences of West Virginians facing economic challenges. Our research has quantified the degree of difficulty these folks face in moving from assistance to independence. Through listening sessions and community engagement across the state, we encountered a common theme: people want more than assistance. They want opportunity. They want meaningful work. They want the ability to provide for themselves and their families. They want to be recognized for being the capable individuals they are – with varied aspirations and the potential to fulfill those dreams.
This understanding should underpin how we think about public policy work. Yes, it is important that policies provide benefits or address needs. But we need to dig deeper and examine whether policies expand or constrain individual freedom. Are they creating pathways for people to advance? Are they encouraging engagement with work and community life? Are they respecting individuals’ capacity to make decisions about their own lives?
This freedom is so valuable because it enables human development. Amid an environment of freedom for people to pursue education, start businesses, choose career paths, and otherwise innovate along the many margins of their lives, they create value for themselves and society at large. Human flourishing depends upon these domains of freedom for people to exercise personal agency and be the authors of their own destinies.
Discussions about the domain of freedom people can act within highlight the importance of regulatory policy. Regulations can serve legitimate purposes of protecting health, safety and property rights. However, regulations can also limit opportunity, intentionally or unintentionally. Too often, the burdens of these regulations are borne by those with the fewest resources.
Whether discussing occupational licensing requirements, restrictive land-use policies, burdensome permitting processes, or any other form of regulation, each one constrains the domain of freedom people can act within leading to reduced economic mobility and increased difficulty in pursuing their version of the American Dream. That reality demands careful examination of trade-offs and ensuring that the intentions of regulations map to outcomes in the world around us.
These considerations are crucial in West Virginia. The state has long faced brutal economic headwinds characterized by low rates of workforce participation and entrepreneurship paired with high rates of government dependency and population decline. Reversing those trends requires more than headline-grabbing business announcements driven by the work state economic development offices or the passage of landmark legislative reforms. Rather, it will come from cultivating an environment rooted in the principles of freedom so that West Virginians can exercise their agency to build the dignified lives of their imagining.
Jessi Troyan is the Director of Policy and Research at the Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy and a proud alumni of West Virginia University. Learn more about the Cardinal Institute at cardinalinstitute.com