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> The real problem is that consumers don't care about the prices I think this is a trope in multiple areas trying to pose personal accountability as a solution
by dv_dt 7y ago
> The real problem is that consumers don't care about the prices
I think this is a trope in multiple areas trying to pose personal accountability as a solution where one actually needs systematic solutions. You see it with the climate crisis (make sure to buy only 100% organic recycled meat), or student loans (make sure to choose a major that has a 20 year postivive ROI), and medical expenses (make sure to price out and choose the most cost performant cancer chemo cocktail).
Really we need working institutions and controls those institutions can impose because the markets for industrial processes, or educational funding, or heathcare are vastly complex products with large capital, time, knowledge commitments needed to adequately check misperformance. The investments needed far exceed most time or money resources that make sense for any one person can put into single transaction. That's why collective institutions are needed to focus on developing the specialized information and policy needed to manage the poorly performing systems.
- nwah1 7y agoThe economy is the sum of individual actions, which are all guided by incentives. Set up poor incentives, and each individual poor decision might not matter too much, but the collective result can be awful. The idea that we ought to throw our trust in with bureaucrats is kind of ridiculous, particularly in the age of Trump. But even if this were Scandinavia, incentives would still matter.
- hn23 7y agoBut the idea to rely on companies (whose incentive is make more money) is not ridiculous?
- maxerickson 7y agoAll meat is just recycled plants and meat.