What do you mean by ‘infeasible?’ An exploration of feasibility in policymaking

Abstract

We often hear policy proposals dismissed on grounds of infeasibility, but what do we actually mean when we call something ‘infeasible?’ Is feasibility simply a matter of what’s possible? Should we consider policies as categorically feasible or infeasible, or rather more feasible and less feasible, relative to one another? Is it feasible for a nation to achieve economic stability by opening mines, which randomly strike an abundance of gold? In this essay, I aim to answer these questions, and provide a definitive framework of feasibility to be used in the assessment of government policies. Three main frameworks of feasibility will be explored—the PA (possibility account), SPA (simple probability account), and CPA (conditional probability account). I will conclude that the CPA is the strongest of these and should be put to use when deliberating policies. Furthermore, I will assert that instead of categorising actions and thus policies as simply ‘feasible’ or ‘infeasible’, they must be categorised as more or less ‘feasible’ in relation to one another.