 In political philosophy , a throffer is a proposal ( also called an intervention ) that mixes an offer with a threat which will be carried out if the offer is not accepted . The term was first used in print by political philosopher Hillel Steiner ; while other writers followed , it has not been universally adopted and it is sometimes considered synonymous with carrot and stick . Though the threatening aspect of a throffer need not be obvious , or even articulated at all , an overt example is 
