Chapter 14 – case 4-1
Racha Khouli
Adams State University
According to the principles of subsidiary, Ten-Tom Waterway was supposed to be a local project. Following are the reasons behind this suggestion. The principle of the subsidiary is clear that political decisions need to be taken and implemented at the local level, and not by the central authorities – to ensure that appropriate improvements are carried out at the domestic level. As per the theoretical provisions of the principle, Tenn-Tom Waterway was meant to be a local project beneficial to the local community. The principle of subsidiary emphasizes the importance and the dignity of human individuals. It holds all forms of society. It is assumed under the subsidiarity principle that human beings are by their creation nature social individuals and emphasizes the importance of intermediate and small-sized community. In other words, any project launched should be for the benefits of the people at the grass-root level. However, the Tenn-Tom Waterway was unsuccessful project solely because of cost-benefit consideration and analysis at the central level – the cost of construction and maintenance outweighed the benefits (Mckee et al., 2018). Thus, the principle of subsidiary comes into place to indicate the importance of implementing the project at the community level as a way of reducing high-cost of construction and operation.
If principles of subsidiarity and correspondence were followed, it is highly likely that the waterway would have been built. The principle of the subsidiary emphasizes that the responsibility of government is to provide and deliver their services and functions at the lower level – community. On the other hand, the principle of correspondence stresses that the actual consumers of the goods and services should provide the needed funds to the central government that provides these services and goods. Therefore, if the two theories were followed, it is likely that the waterway would have been built. The “It Pays for Itself” would have been used as the budget strategy to ensure the project was completed successfully (Green, 2015). Employing the ‘It Pays for Itself’ principle would have ensured there was a cost-benefit ratio, and thus the project could not fail. Implementing the Teen-Tom Waterway project would have brought the central government more revenue, which would offset the cost of construction and maintenance. However, the Teen-Tom Waterway would have been effective if it was funded by the federal government and not the states of Mississippi and Alabama. Employing the principle of subsidiary, the Mississippi River was the best-preferred choice for construction of the dam – it was costly cheaper.
Both the principle of subsidiary and correspondence supports the implementation of any project that brings benefits to the local community. Thus, building the Teen-Tom Waterway would have brought job opportunities to the local people. The principle of subsidiary posits that any political decision taken should be effectively and successfully implemented. Therefore, the Teen-Tom Waterway needed to be completed to ensure that the public funds and resources were not wasted. The principle of correspondence is clear that any project undertaken by the government should be funded by those who enjoy its benefits (Mikesell, 2013). The Teen-Tom Waterway was for the benefits of the local community, and thus, its maintenance cost would be funded by the locals.
References
McKee, J. K., & McAnally, W. H. (2008). Water Budget of Tombigbee River–Tenn-Tom Waterway from Headwaters to Junction with Black Warrior River. Civil and Environmental Engineering, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Mississippi.
Green, S. R. (2015). An overview of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway. Environmental Geology and Water Sciences, 7(1-2), 9-13.
Mikesell, J. (2013). Fiscal administration. Cengage Learning.