I think the environment thing is really overblown as well.
What’s not overblown is the ease with which the government can get big projects done. And there are some downsides to that, specifically when it comes to property rights.
The Beijing public transit trains are a great example. The routes are wildly straight. So straight they allow extremely long trains.
Thats possible, in part, because the government can just reappropriate the land in a way that governments in the west can’t without engaging with a contentious public.
And that’s just one example. That sort of thing permeates many different kinds of projects and leads to a particular kind of efficiency.
What’s not overblown is the ease with which the government can get big projects done. And there are some downsides to that, specifically when it comes to property rights.
The Beijing public transit trains are a great example. The routes are wildly straight. So straight they allow extremely long trains.
Thats possible, in part, because the government can just reappropriate the land in a way that governments in the west can’t without engaging with a contentious public.
And that’s just one example. That sort of thing permeates many different kinds of projects and leads to a particular kind of efficiency.