What this lesson teaches
I can explain why groups' different needs and interests make it hard to decide what is good for society.
Syllabus K336, Issue 1, Guiding Question 3, Challenges in deciding what is good for society. Differing needs and interests
Make a guess
A new MRT line could run under a nature reserve or around it. Commuters, nature groups and taxpayers disagree. Why do you think this is hard to settle?
- It is simple: the group with the most members should get its way in the end.
- Each group has a reasonable concern that one route cannot fully meet at once.
- One group is being selfish, so its view should count for less.
Show the answer
Each group has a reasonable concern that one route cannot fully meet at once.
Commuters want faster trips, nature groups value the forest and taxpayers want lower costs. All three concerns are fair.
People often need or want different things from the same limited space, money or services.
A need is something important for a person's well-being, such as a safe way to get to school. An interest is something a person or group wants or values, such as a quiet neighbourhood.
Decisions become hard when meeting one group's need uses up what another group also needs. For example, bus passengers need reliable buses, while shopkeepers need space for delivery lorries to unload.
Both concerns can be reasonable. In an answer, explain who is affected, what they need and why. Do not assume everyone in a group thinks the same.
The Cross Island Line (CRL) shows this on a national scale. The new MRT line had to cross the Central Catchment Nature Reserve, Singapore's largest nature reserve. Commuters needed faster, cheaper journeys. Nature groups valued the forest and the animals living there. Taxpayers had an interest in keeping building costs down. Each concern was reasonable, so the government had to weigh them against each other.
- Need
- Something important for well-being.
- Interest
- Something a person or group wants or values.
- Answer tip
- Name who is affected, what they need, and why.
Real examples to use
Cross Island Line route, 2019
After years of study and consultation, the government chose the route under the Central Catchment Nature Reserve on 4 December 2019. It is about 6 minutes faster a trip and about $2 billion cheaper, with tunnels 70 metres deep to limit harm. Use it for weighing commuters' needs against nature groups' interests.
Worked example: Choosing a route for the Cross Island Line, 2019
The Land Transport Authority studied two routes: one running straight under the nature reserve, and one skirting around it. It ran a two-phase environmental impact study, shared with the public in 2016 and 2019, and met nature groups, heritage groups and residents. On 4 December 2019 the government chose the direct route. It saves about 6 minutes a trip and about $2 billion in building costs. To reduce harm, the tunnel runs 70 metres below the ground, with no surface works inside the reserve.
- Commuters' need: shorter journeys every day, for many years.
- Nature groups' interest: protecting the forest. Deep tunnelling and keeping worksites outside the reserve answered part of this concern.
- The direct route met commuters' and taxpayers' needs better, while the safeguards met nature groups part of the way. Meeting different needs usually means a compromise, not full agreement.
Watch out for this
If two groups disagree, one of them must be selfish.
Both groups can have genuine needs. Explain the need behind each side before judging. The problem is limited resources, not selfishness.
Check your understanding
Why is it hard to decide how to use a shared resource?
- Most residents care more about themselves than about their community.
- Groups have reasonable needs that the resource cannot meet at once.
- Planners have not yet found the option that suits each group fully.
Show the answer
Groups have reasonable needs that the resource cannot meet at once.
Right. Limited resources and different needs create hard choices.