Silver Bullets Don’t Solve Social Problems

Our lives are all made up of countless facets that combine in unique ways to make us, us. Society is no different. The economy isn’t a single machine; it’s the sum of millions of people making billions of decisions every day. Whenever someone presents a single-step solution, we should be very skeptical, because there is no silver bullet that will fix any problem.

I was inspired to write about this subject by a New York Times column this week by David Brooks, titled “Flood the Zone.” The jumping-off point for his article is the Obama administration’s recent decisions to shut down the DC school voucher program and requiring Catholic organizations to pay for contraception. The administration wants to use one standard for all situations, instead of the diversity of choice these alternative institutions represent.

From these incidents, designed to help fight poverty and improve the lives of struggling Americans, Mr. Brooks makes an important point about fighting poverty: “we will never understand what causes it.” There are countless factors, including economic, historical, familial, and social causes, that all interact in different ways in each individual person’s situation.

But while the problems are complex and vary from person to person, solutions from both parties typically focus on doing things one way. One particular explanation, or one particular approach is seized as “the” answer, and alternatives are pushed out. Mr. Brooks identifies this as the technocratic problem. “Technocrats are in the business of promulgating rules,” he writes. “Technocratic organizations take diverse institutions and make them more alike.”

In other words, they look for a silver bullet. A real solution needs to be complex, just as the problem is complex, and must include a wide range of options and voices, to account for the reality that every person will see things differently.

For most problems, there isn’t just one simple issue. It’s a broad, systemic thing that must be attacked on multiple fronts. Mr. Brooks makes some great points, but they are applicable to a lot more than just poverty.

It’s certainly true when it comes to the problems facing small business entrepreneurs. There is no single lever to pull that will immediately revive entrepreneurism and jumpstart the economy. It’s about changing the culture and covering as many angles as possible.

That’s one of the things I liked about an op-ed piece by senators Jerry Moran and Mark Warner in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal, “A Bipartisan Plan for Job Creation.” Their proposed Startup Act doesn’t do just one thing to help small business entrepreneurs build a company and achieve their dreams. It covers several policy areas and involves multiple institutions to improve the overall environment and culture for small business, not just one element.

It provides tax incentives for investors looking to fund entrepreneurs. It requires additional analysis and justification for proposed regulations that have significant economic impact, to reduce the time and money entrepreneurs have to spend crossing t’s and dotting i’s. It includes immigration reform to make it easy for foreign graduate students at American universities to stay in the country and launch their businesses. It looks at ways to more quickly connect research at our top universities with entrepreneurs in the marketplace. Entrepreneurs, investors, bureaucrats, politicians, researchers, students—they all have parts to play.

That’s the mindset you need to have to solve problems. If you only focus on one element, even an important one, you’ll only make a fraction of the impact you’re looking for, because every person is affected and motivated by a different combination of those elements. This holds true whether you’re talking about poverty or job-creation.

Here at OneMoreCustomer, we want to promote small businesses and entrepreneurs on every front, from business strategies to public policy to just encouraging deep thinking. No two small businesses are the same, and we’re here for all of you.