# Value Frameworks **Domain:** ethics, political philosophy, governance design **Doc Type:** Concept Node **Classification:** Infrastructure Concept **Maturity:** foundational concept, contested implementation **Related:** [[Values]], [[Ethical Frameworks]], [[Metrics and Indicators]], [[Goal Definition]], [[Priority Setting]], [[Governance Principles]] --- ## Definition **Value frameworks** refer to **explicit systems that define what counts as good, what outcomes are worth pursuing, how tradeoffs between competing goods should be resolved, and what metrics indicate whether institutions are serving stated values**. Value frameworks translate ethical principles into operational guidance—they specify not merely that we should pursue justice, but how to measure justice, what takes priority when justice conflicts with efficiency, and how to detect when justice claims are being used to mask other purposes. Contemporary governance increasingly makes value frameworks explicit through sustainability goals, equity metrics, and ethical guidelines, though many frameworks remain implicit in standard practices. --- ## General Context Political philosophy and ethics have long examined value questions; contemporary governance adds requirement that values be explicit and measurable. This creates productive tension—explicit values enable accountability but can also reduce complex ethical questions to quantitative metrics that miss important dimensions. Different governance traditions embed different value frameworks: market-oriented frameworks prioritize efficiency, welfare-state frameworks prioritize equity, authoritarian frameworks prioritize stability. --- ## Governance Context Governance frameworks should explicitly specify value frameworks defining what outcomes are pursued, how tradeoffs are resolved, and what metrics indicate success. Implicit values hide themselves behind technical necessity. --- ## Reparative Justice Context Reparative justice systems require explicit value frameworks that prioritize remedy for systemic historical wrongs over maximizing efficiency or minimizing state burden. --- ## Climate Meritocracy Context The Climate-Meritocracy framework embeds specific value frameworks prioritizing vulnerability in resource allocation, reparation of systemic inequality, and sustainability. --- ## Key Insight Every governance system embeds value framework whether explicitly stated or implicit—the choice is not whether to have values but whether to make them visible and contestable. Explicit value frameworks enable debate about priorities; implicit values hide themselves behind claims of technical necessity. --- ## See Also [[Value Functions]], [[Governance Frameworks]], [[Ethics]], [[Goal Definition]], [[Metrics]]