5 ms·

It isn't about "enfficiency innovations". You always have to make tradeoffs between the collective and the individual, the private and the public. Allowing pri

It isn't about "enfficiency innovations". You always have to make tradeoffs between the collective and the individual, the private and the public. Allowing private companies to extract economic rents from the public is good for the private sector, bad for the public. And vice-versa. Take social expenditures, for example. The US spends 80%-90% of what Germany, Netherlands and Switzerland spend per capita PPP, yet the public services and social welfare in the US are abysmally bad.

jessriedel 9y ago
Economic rents benefit owners of entrenched corporations, but they don't make them more efficient. They also don't explain why US corporate practices make foreign companies more efficient when they are exported. And you haven't addressed the difference in public service efficiency since 10% in scale is not nearly large enough to explain order-unity inefficiencies in the US public sector. (And in absolute terms the US is larger, anyways.)
- ucaetano 9y ago
  > Economic rents benefit owners of entrenched corporations, but they don't make them more efficient. Efficient at extracting rents and higher profits, yes. > And you haven't addressed the difference in public service efficiency since 10% in scale is not nearly large enough to explain order-unity inefficiencies in the US public sector. (And in absolute terms the US is larger, anyways.) Wait, you do know how good social services are in Germany and Switzerland, and how bad they are in the US, right? If I had to rate social services in DE and CH, I'd give, let's say, an 8 and a 9. Now in the US, well, maybe a 4 if you're lucky. And they cost about the same per capita.
  - jessriedel 9y ago
    Lots wrong with your comment, but in particular note that we are discussing public sectors, not just social services.
    - ucaetano 9y ago
      > Lots wrong with your comment Such as? > in particular note that we are discussing public sectors, not just social services Sure, let's discuss government-owned companies. And let's discuss infrastructure investment. And research spending. Oh, education too. Pick one. The US is far less efficient than most of its peers in healthcare spending, government-owned companies, infrastructure investment, military spending, education, taxing, etc. Please, tell me, where is the US government so efficient?

jessriedel 9y ago

Economic rents benefit owners of entrenched corporations, but they don't make them more efficient. They also don't explain why US corporate practices make foreign companies more efficient when they are exported. And you haven't addressed the difference in public service efficiency since 10% in scale is not nearly large enough to explain order-unity inefficiencies in the US public sector. (And in absolute terms the US is larger, anyways.)

ucaetano 9y ago
> Economic rents benefit owners of entrenched corporations, but they don't make them more efficient. Efficient at extracting rents and higher profits, yes. > And you haven't addressed the difference in public service efficiency since 10% in scale is not nearly large enough to explain order-unity inefficiencies in the US public sector. (And in absolute terms the US is larger, anyways.) Wait, you do know how good social services are in Germany and Switzerland, and how bad they are in the US, right? If I had to rate social services in DE and CH, I'd give, let's say, an 8 and a 9. Now in the US, well, maybe a 4 if you're lucky. And they cost about the same per capita.
- jessriedel 9y ago
  Lots wrong with your comment, but in particular note that we are discussing public sectors, not just social services.
  - ucaetano 9y ago
    > Lots wrong with your comment Such as? > in particular note that we are discussing public sectors, not just social services Sure, let's discuss government-owned companies. And let's discuss infrastructure investment. And research spending. Oh, education too. Pick one. The US is far less efficient than most of its peers in healthcare spending, government-owned companies, infrastructure investment, military spending, education, taxing, etc. Please, tell me, where is the US government so efficient?