Like Sands in an Hourglass
Closest Point of Approach is about helping decision makers predict bureaucratic action. The more of these cases we see, the better our pattern recognition becomes.
Getting Infrastructure Built: The Law and Economics of Permitting
US climate reformers may want to turn their attention to the bureaucracy.
“Given the benefits to economic growth and the need to transition to green energy, getting infrastructure built is an urgent issue. I describe what to consider in designing a system of permitting infrastructure. I then review the evidence: in the US, permitting is slow, infrastructure is expensive, and environmental outcomes are not particularly good. I propose a framework for reform with two dimensions: the power of the executive branch to decide and its capacity to plan. After considering reform possibilities, I propose that reforming both dimensions could lead to a possible “green bargain” that benefits efficiency, the environment, and democracy.”
In Cuba, the Terminal Stage of Communism Is a Mafia
Bureaucratic control is too much of a temptation. The further the administrators divorce themselves from the people they ostensibly serve, the more they risk becoming their own clients.
“Corruption can be simple or complex. Officials fortunate enough to have control over scarce resources like fuel sell these on the black market and realize enormous profits. The preferred approach is more indirect, however. Following the outbreak of anti-regime protests in July 2021, the government allowed the establishment of private “micro, small, and medium enterprises,” theoretically as a way to open up the economy to market forces. But most if not all of the 9,000 private enterprises operating in Cuba today are owned by powerful regime figures who then funnel public works contracts to them.”
The Expanding Civil Rights Bureaucracy
Ain’t no spiral like a vicious spiral.
“Powers meticulously explains the march through the legal institutions. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act colonized the world of work. It quickly metastasized from the prohibition of discriminatory practices in hiring. Soon, it included myriad mechanisms for holding employers liable not only for virtually anything their employees might do that can be defined as discriminatory but also for the actions of contractors, vendors, and customers at work sites.”
Space is the new ‘Wild West.’ The EU is dying to step in and regulate.
Oh good. Yet another bureaucratic land grab.
“But the need to set rules is becoming more pressing as as the number of satellites booms and the economic importance of space grows; investment bank Morgan Stanley reckons the space economy will be worth $1 trillion by 2040.”
China’s quant funds count the cost of regulatory clampdown
Your ability to make money in China is at the discretion of the Chinese administration. What works today (and is legal in almost every other jurisdiction) may not be permitted tomorrow. Because reasons. It is axiomatic that any erosion of investor confidence in China is not attributable to the cumulative policies of the Chinese Communist Party and the distortions that riddle the economy.
“The China Securities Regulatory Commission took the view that the role some quant funds played contributed to a further erosion of investor confidence, according to one person familiar with its thinking. CSRC did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Wu Qing, the new head of CSRC, last month emphasised that “regulators must pay special attention to fairness issues.””
Buttigieg: ‘We will tear down bureaucratic barriers’ to rebuild Baltimore bridge
What’s the threshold of pain for tearing down bureaucratic impediments to progress? Asking for a friend.
“To be clear, this has to be done safely. It has to be done properly, whether we're talking about checks to make sure that taxpayer funds are being used the right way or any safety consideration. But within that and within the framework of the law, we're going to provide as much flexibility as we responsibly can because we have got to get this port back open and we have got to get that bridge back up.”
Bureaucracy makes it too difficult for tech companies to sell to Ottawa: report
“Bureaucracy makes it too difficult for Canadian tech companies to sell to government, a new report from an industry group says — and all that red tape is keeping them from a bigger piece of the billions spent on procurement.
“In some cases, companies find it easier to sell to foreign governments, says Laurent Carbonneau, director of policy and research at the Council of Canadian Innovators, which represents the Canadian tech sector.”
Senate bill looks to chop through red tape in procurement
The power of incumbency in DC is difficult to challenge. Layering on new rules to fix the problems with the old rules is, well, a brave choice. Let’s see how it works out.
“The bill would mandate updates to procurement rules and programs in the name of eliminating restrictive requirements and expand procurement options that let agencies move quickly, according to the senators. It’s also meant to open up opportunities for businesses entering the federal marketplace.”
Biden administration locks in plans aiming to block Schedule F for good
If the Executive Branch cannot control the civil service, does that make the civil service a separate, unaccountable branch of government?
“Efforts from the Office of Personnel Management to “reinforce and clarify protections for the nonpartisan career civil service” will tighten up the job security of tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of non-political, career federal employees. OPM published its final rule reinforcing those protections to the Federal Register Thursday morning.”