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International trade is cheaper and more predictable, so there's a lot more of it now. The economy is just bigger than it used to be, which means it has more ro
by tbrownaw 4y ago
International trade is cheaper and more predictable, so there's a lot more of it now.
The economy is just bigger than it used to be, which means it has more room for complexity to live in.
- tomrod 4y agoPerhaps you and I have different definitions of complexity. I identify complexity as increased costs due to an increased action space. In 1920, Jim can wake up and sit in the house or go to work. In 2020, Jim can wake up and site in the house (fiddling with a phone) or go to work. In 1920, Royce has to take 2 hours to iron clothes with an iron heated in the hearth. In 2020, Royce pulls clothes out of the dryer and throws them on a hanger, reducing clothing maintenance for presentability by 75%. Cars in 1970 has simpler systems. Cars in 2020 have more complexity. The additional complexity lets Alice have a higher standard of living, meaning the time traded for maintaining the car herself versus taking to a mechanic is at worst an even trade, at best much less time to drop off. Just because something has grown doesn't mean the cost of actions have increased. Maybe its harder to corner the silver market due to the internet existing, but that really wasn't a desirable outcome anyhow.
- tbrownaw 4y agoBut complexity as related to policy design has nothing to do with the how much it costs any one individual to navigate the decision space available to them.