Conventional wisdom says the nature of government makes it grow more and more complicated, and that makes it grow bigger.
But is that true? Can we think outside that box? Jane Jacobs – housewife, city hall rabble-rouser, and natural-born genius – took this problem of the growth of government and turned it inside-out:
The English biologist, J. B. S. Haldane…. pointed out …that size has much to do with the equipment an animal must have. Insects, being so small, do not need oxygen-carrying bloodstreams. The oxygen their cells require can be absorbed by simple diffusion of air through their bodies. But being larger means an animal must take on complicated oxygen pumping and distributing systems to reach all the cells.
[So,] big animals are not big because they are complicated. Rather, they are complicated because they are big.
Haldane’s principle, it seems to me also applies to institutions, companies, governments, organizations of all sorts. The larger they are, the more complications they require: coordinators, liaison people, prescribed channels of communication, administrators, supervisors of supervisors, whole extra departments devoted to serving the organism itself. A small organization can get along without a bureaucracy. A big one cannot.
Big organizations are not big because they are complicated. … But they are complicated because they are big. (Jacobs 1980, 32)
Jacobs applied Haldane’s principle (Haldane [1928] 1929) to organizations like government.
She continued:
People who don’t understand what I’m calling Haldane’s principal are forever being disappointed that making big units out of many small units does not necessarily save money. (Jacobs 1980, 33)
[I]ncreased centralization should not be combined with added or multiplied responsibilities. On the contrary, added governmental responsibilities should be combined with looser federalism or else separation. (Jacobs 1980, 36)
Jacobs said that contrary to conventional wisdom, the growth of government happens naturally, and that makes it grow more complicated.
This ingenious bit of common sense takes the idea that complication grows naturally, making organizations bigger, and turns the idea inside out. So Jacobs says reality works in the opposite direction to conventional wisdom.
It is true that technology becomes more complicated as it becomes more powerful. But that should not cause us to make our governments more complicated. Actually, we should use our more powerful technology to simplify government.
Furthermore, if Jacobs is right then she begs the question, “Why does the nature of government cause it to get bigger?”
One reason for the growth of government is that politicians need high-paying jobs for gifts to those who help them get elected.
And the cronyism all goes downhill from there.
Do you think Jane Jacobs is right that the growth of government happens naturally, and that growth causes it to become more and more complicated? Or is it the other way around? Would you believe that there’s a way to use our modern technology to make government simpler, and at the same time more responsive to the people?
This site is for discussing how to improve our political system. It is NOT for discussing party politics or political figures. So if you have a non-partisan question or comment, feel free to leave it below.
Next post
Sources:
Haldane, J.B.S. [1928] 1929. “On Being the Right Size”, in The World’s Best Essays, ed. F.H. Prichard. New York: Albert and Charles Boni.
Jacobs, Jane. 1980. Canadian Cities and Sovereignty Association. Toronto: CBC Merchandising.
I agree with your point of view, your article has given me a lot of help and benefited me a lot. Thanks. Hope you continue to write such excellent articles.
The point of view of your article has taught me a lot, and I already know how to improve the paper on gate.oi, thank you. https://www.gate.io/ru/signup/XwNAU
I’m often to running a blog and i actually admire your content. The article has really peaks my interest. I’m going to bookmark your website and keep checking for brand new information.
I’ve been browsing on-line more than three hours as of late, but I by no means found any interesting article like yours. It¦s beautiful price enough for me. In my view, if all site owners and bloggers made good content material as you did, the internet might be a lot more helpful than ever before.
I have not checked in here for a while as I thought it was getting boring, but the last several posts are great quality so I guess I will add you back to my everyday bloglist. You deserve it my friend 🙂
Wow, superb blog layout! How lengthy have you ever been running a blog
for? you made blogging look easy. The overall glance of
your website is wonderful, as well as the content material!
You can see similar: dobry sklep and here sklep internetowy
Howdy just wanted to give you a quick heads up. The text in your content seem to be running off the screen in Firefox. I’m not sure if this is a format issue or something to do with web browser compatibility but I figured I’d post to let you know. The design and style look great though! Hope you get the issue fixed soon. Thanks
Merely wanna remark on few general things, The website design and style is perfect, the content is real wonderful. “In business school classrooms they construct wonderful models of a nonworld.” by Peter Drucker.
Keep working ,fantastic job!
I have been absent for some time, but now I remember why I used to love this blog. Thanks, I will try and check back more frequently. How frequently you update your web site?
Yay google is my world beater assisted me to find this outstanding website ! .
I think this is among the such a lot significant information for me. And i’m glad studying your article. But should observation on few normal things, The website style is wonderful, the articles is truly nice : D. Just right activity, cheers
I have been absent for a while, but now I remember why I used to love this blog. Thank you, I will try and check back more frequently. How frequently you update your website?
My brother suggested I may like this website. He used to be totally right. This publish actually made my day. You cann’t consider just how a lot time I had spent for this info! Thanks!
I was looking through some of your content on this
website and I believe this site is real instructive!
Retain putting up.Raise your business
Your point of view caught my eye and was very interesting. Thanks. I have a question for you.
Thank you for your sharing. I am worried that I lack creative ideas. It is your article that makes me full of hope. Thank you. But, I have a question, can you help me?
Your article helped me a lot, is there any more related content? Thanks!
Thank you very much for sharing, I learned a lot from your article. Very cool. Thanks.
Usually I do not read article on blogs however I would like to say that this writeup very compelled me to take a look at and do so Your writing taste has been amazed me Thanks quite nice post
Can you be more specific about the content of your article? After reading it, I still have some doubts. Hope you can help me.
Thanks for sharing. I read many of your blog posts, cool, your blog is very good.
Your article helped me a lot, is there any more related content? Thanks!
4 diflucortolone valerate DFV and 5 [url=https://fastpriligy.top/]dapoxetine for premature[/url] The online pharmacy, known as the Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company MCCPDC, began operating in January
Kaiser is a High volume clinic but they handle appointments and advice very efficiently priligy 30mg price This is assuming proper dosage see below and adequate protein and carb intake