4 ms·

Sometimes "ROI" isn't measurable. What's the "ROI" of a well rounded populus that gets along and doesn't want to kill each other? What's the "ROI" of creating b

Sometimes "ROI" isn't measurable. What's the "ROI" of a well rounded populus that gets along and doesn't want to kill each other? What's the "ROI" of creating beautiful works of art, or producing great culture? What's the "ROI" of happiness? Sometimes the purpose of central government is to make a negative ROI into a positive one, because there are greater purpose than the return

wat10000 2y ago
It may not be measurable but we still need to think about it and do our best to figure out what things cost more than the benefits they provide.
- delusional 2y ago
  What if we don't agree what the benefits are? Tieing the "benefits" to money breaks your system before you even get it off the ground. We already have a way to discuss that benefit, it's the political process. Doing politics IS figuring out the benefits.
  - wat10000 2y ago
    You answer your own question here. You don’t have to tie the benefits to money, but you do need to understand that there is a cost, some of which is money, and the benefits should be worth it if you’re going to be doing it. Who pays the money is a secondary concern to that.
lurk2 2y ago
> What's the "ROI" of a well rounded populus that gets along and doesn't want to kill each other? Calculable. > What's the "ROI" of creating beautiful works of art, or producing great culture? The academy doesn’t do this anymore and hasn’t for more than half a century. > What's the "ROI" of happiness? Is there any evidence to suggest college graduates are happier which account for differences in childhood socioeconomic status, lifetime earning potential, and similar confounding factors? > Sometimes the purpose of central government is to make a negative ROI into a positive one, because there are greater purpose than the return While I agree with you in principle, this rationale can be used as a cover for bad policy. You take a measure that is widely accepted as an indication of worth, and then insist that the system’s failure to produce that indication of worth may actually just indicate that it’s providing an intangible goodness that cannot be measured nor accounted for (beauty, happiness, etc.).
- AshleyGrant 2y ago
  > Is there any evidence to suggest college graduates are happier which account for differences in childhood socioeconomic status, lifetime earning potential, and similar confounding factors? I'm not going to read this entire study just to respond to a single comment, but according to ChatGPT, the answer to your question is yes. https://pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdfplus/10.1257/jep.25.1.159 https://pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdfplus/10.1257/jep.25.1.159 https://chatgpt.com/share/67e5793f-e284-800f-8bb4-ebd340e4c9de https://chatgpt.com/share/67e5793f-e284-800f-8bb4-ebd340e4c9... "Yes, the evidence strongly suggests that schooling has nonpecuniary benefits like increased happiness, beyond what can be explained by income or family background. But the authors remain cautious and emphasize the need for further causal research."

wat10000 2y ago

It may not be measurable but we still need to think about it and do our best to figure out what things cost more than the benefits they provide.

delusional 2y ago
What if we don't agree what the benefits are? Tieing the "benefits" to money breaks your system before you even get it off the ground. We already have a way to discuss that benefit, it's the political process. Doing politics IS figuring out the benefits.
- wat10000 2y ago
  You answer your own question here. You don’t have to tie the benefits to money, but you do need to understand that there is a cost, some of which is money, and the benefits should be worth it if you’re going to be doing it. Who pays the money is a secondary concern to that.

lurk2 2y ago

> What's the "ROI" of a well rounded populus that gets along and doesn't want to kill each other? Calculable. > What's the "ROI" of creating beautiful works of art, or producing great culture? The academy doesn’t do this anymore and hasn’t for more than half a century. > What's the "ROI" of happiness? Is there any evidence to suggest college graduates are happier which account for differences in childhood socioeconomic status, lifetime earning potential, and similar confounding factors? > Sometimes the purpose of central government is to make a negative ROI into a positive one, because there are greater purpose than the return While I agree with you in principle, this rationale can be used as a cover for bad policy. You take a measure that is widely accepted as an indication of worth, and then insist that the system’s failure to produce that indication of worth may actually just indicate that it’s providing an intangible goodness that cannot be measured nor accounted for (beauty, happiness, etc.).

AshleyGrant 2y ago
> Is there any evidence to suggest college graduates are happier which account for differences in childhood socioeconomic status, lifetime earning potential, and similar confounding factors? I'm not going to read this entire study just to respond to a single comment, but according to ChatGPT, the answer to your question is yes. https://pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdfplus/10.1257/jep.25.1.159 https://pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdfplus/10.1257/jep.25.1.159 https://chatgpt.com/share/67e5793f-e284-800f-8bb4-ebd340e4c9de https://chatgpt.com/share/67e5793f-e284-800f-8bb4-ebd340e4c9... "Yes, the evidence strongly suggests that schooling has nonpecuniary benefits like increased happiness, beyond what can be explained by income or family background. But the authors remain cautious and emphasize the need for further causal research."