A political caring index<xref ref-type="fn" rid="fn1">1</xref>

In this article, we present a metric to measure the level of 'care' provided by state policies. We have created an index, using state-level data from the USA, which operationalizes an institutional political theory of care. Using this political caring index, we provide data analysis of the impact of levels of care on such societal issues as suicide rates, high school dropout rates and violent crime. In doing so, we explore the relationship between 'caring' state policies and the prevention of social harms, assess the success of existing state policies and provide a new tool for evaluating public policy. Copyright 2011, Oxford University Press.