A Maslow Hierarchy of Political Needs

A Maslow-style Hierarchy of Political Needs, which I propose below, illustrates the hierarchy of political needs, suggesting that the urgency and priority of political issues can vary based on the foundational stability of a society.

How You Should Vote Depends on Where You Are on the Set of Political Needs:

• Safety and Security: If your immediate concern is safety—be it from crime, police brutality, external threats, or natural disasters—your voting priorities might focus on candidates and policies that give you the preferred level of law enforcement, national security, and emergency preparedness.

• General Welfare: Once safety is assured, your attention might turn to general welfare issues like healthcare, food, education, and economic activity. Voting for policies that support your minimally acceptable levels of social safety nets and public services could be your priority.

• Constitutional Integrity and Rule of Law: With safety and welfare secured, ensuring that the nation upholds the constitution and maintains the rule of law becomes critical. Your vote might favor candidates who respect judicial independence and commit to law enforcement without bias.

• Policy Preferences: At this level, specific policy details come into play. Here, you can afford to vote based on nuanced positions on taxes, road pricing, EV subsidies, public transit deployment, regulatory approaches, and government spending, reflecting personal preferences and ideologies.

• Cultural and Social Issues: If your foundational needs are met, you might engage more with cultural or social issues, choosing candidates based on their stance on identity politics, social values, or cultural debates.

• Global Influence: At the pinnacle of the pyramid, where basic to intermediate needs are met, voting can extend to how the country interacts globally, focusing on international relations, trade policies, influencing the Pyramid in other countries (women’s rights, e.g.), and global cooperation.

Understanding where your most pressing needs fall within this pyramid can guide your voting to ensure that the most immediate and substantial issues are addressed first, creating a stable base for tackling more complex and less immediate political concerns.

Maslow-style Hierarchy of Political Needs

How I will vote in the upcoming 2024 US Presidential Election is based on the idea that I believe Safety and Security, and General Welfare in the US are basically met (not as well as they could be), but Constitutional Integrity and Rule of Law are at risk with one of the major party candidates. That candidate will also place increasing stress on General Welfare and Safety and Security. Thus relatively minor preferences concerning Policy Preferences or Cultural and Social Issues are far less critical. As always, your mileage may vary, and your threat assessments may differ. But my allegiance is to the idea of democracy and rule of law, rather than to a single individual.

FIN.