Group Activities for 9/3

Activity #1

• What is the underlying condition a soda tax is meant to address? Is this a problem? Why?
• Is this a problem requiring a public solution? What is the government stake?
• How would liberals and conservatives think about the above questions? How do their answers differ, and why?

Activity #2

• What type of tool is a soda tax? What mechanism(s) does it use?
• Can you think of other ways to reduce obesity (try to come up with 2 or 3)? What type of tool is each of these ideas? What mechanism does each use?
• What would liberals and conservatives think about each of your alternatives?

Activity #3

• What advocates and interest groups were active in the Philadelphia soda tax case?
• How did supporters of the soda tax frame/characterize the problem and the solution? What was their causal story? How did they view cause and effect? Who did they identify as the villains and victims?
• How did opponents of the soda tax frame/characterize the problem and the solution? What was their causal story? How did they view cause and effect? Who did they identify as the villains and victims?