3 ms·
I matured a different, if not opposite viewpoint: every entity acts in it own self interest, so if the incentives are not aligned, things will tend go south. It
by jokethrowaway 3y ago
I matured a different, if not opposite viewpoint: every entity acts in it own self interest, so if the incentives are not aligned, things will tend go south. It may work for a long period of time because of sheer will power and commitment to a greater good from the people involved in the organisation, but over time, everything will follow market incentives.
Public health care seems to be a primary example (and my family has been in the sector for more than 40 years); HC was good for a long period of time then it got progressively worse and nowadays it's just an item in your tax bill. If you literally don't want to die you better know someone on the inside which can push the right buttons or go private.
The money spent on law enforcement had a reverse effect on crime rate, the police actually got less efficient the more money they manage to extract from public funds. They got really good at getting more money from ridiculous speed limits and automated systems though.
Looking in the private tech sector my experience has been similar: the larger the organisation the more it resemble a government and the more inefficiency is tolerated. Within layers and layers of middle management it's easy to waste plenty of investors' money - albeit not indefinitely, like a government would.