> On most indicators the world has gotten better and more free and more democratic. On what timescale? Freedom House's metrics on freedom and democratic gover

> On most indicators the world has gotten better and more free and more democratic. On what timescale? Freedom House's metrics on freedom and democratic governance have been in retreat for over a decade now[0], due both to increasing authoritarianism in the underdeveloped world and the rise of illiberal[1], anti-democratic, movements in the developed world. Human development indicators--such as the percentage of the global population in extreme poverty--have certainly been rising up to the end of 2019, but the pandemic has been forecast, by some, to undo several decades of those improvements[2]. > I would posit that what has happened is that second order effects are now more visible like the crime that was not reported and is now reported. This is absolutely true. In the US, the crime rate has been falling since the 1990s but most Americans continue to believe that the crime rate is rising.[3] In part some of this perception is due to media sensationalism but a very large part of it is, to be blunt, the result of deliberate political propaganda.[3] > A Hoover dam would probably not be built now because the communities affected are more empowered and have the resources to mobilize political opinion. ... I am not saying this is a bad thing or a good thing I believe the privileging of local preferences over collective needs has been extremely bad for society as a whole because it has prevented collective needs from being addressed. For example, the housing affordability crisis that is gripping much of the anglosphere is largely due to local preferences against housing construction to override the need for a growing population to have housing. Collective needs that impact millions of people are more important than the whims of local NIMBYs. The same applies to public infrastructure and mega-projects, including nuclear power. We most likely need nuclear power to save the planet, and that need is far more important than the property values of people who are in the immediate area of new power plants. Our current NIMBY-first system does not allow for this. [0] https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2019/democracy-retreat https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2019/democracy... [1] This word does not mean 'conservative.' [2] https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/half-billion-people-could-be-pushed-poverty-coronavirus-warns-oxfam https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/half-billion-people-... [3] https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/many-americans-are-convinced-crime-is-rising-in-the-u-s-theyre-wrong/ https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/many-americans-are-conv...