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While 'HealthEdGov' may have been the place to be over the past ten years, it's worth pointing out that that sector is basically a remora- a useful parasite to
by krakensden 17y ago
While 'HealthEdGov' may have been the place to be over the past ten years, it's worth pointing out that that sector is basically a remora- a useful parasite to the shark, but still a parasite.
As a society, we need a stronger 'rest of the economy'.
- jimbokun 17y agoTo the extent that HealthEdGov is a proxy for just Gov (considering the amount of government money spent on Health and Ed), I suppose that's true. But Health and Ed definitely contribute a lot to productivity, I think. Sick, injured and dead people do not produce as much value as healthy people, and well educated people tend to produce more value than under educated people. Disclaimer: this is being typed by someone whose paycheck comes directly from the EdGov sector.
- yummyfajitas 17y agoIntuitively, we believe that health and ed contribute to productivity, wealth, etc. But the evidence that health and education (beyond the basics) contribute much is actually pretty weak. http://www.overcomingbias.com/2008/03/human-capital-p.html#more-17459 http://www.overcomingbias.com/2008/03/human-capital-p.html#m... http://www.overcomingbias.com/2007/05/medicine_as_sca.html http://www.overcomingbias.com/2007/05/medicine_as_sca.html By basics, I mean vaccines/trauma care/birthing in medicine, and literacy/arithmetic in education. Disclaimer: I also work in the Ed/NonGov sector, as well as in the Sci/Gov sector.
- Goladus 17y agoGood point but I disagree. Ed is more like an investment, and Health Care is an important industry. Demand for it is huge. Everyone has health problems, while fixing them is important and often nontrivial. Also, a remora is typically considered a symbiote, not a parasite.