We Don't Have to Be This Bad at Improving Society

Centralization, China, and “improving society”

• Debate over whether China is a positive model:
  • Pro: rapid poverty reduction, massive infrastructure (HSR, renewables, transmission), apparent ability to learn from failures (e.g., environmental policy, EV supply chain).
  • Con: history of major policy disasters (Great Leap Forward, Cultural Revolution, one‑child policy), current repression (Uyghurs, Hong Kong), data distortion upwards, renewed personality cult around leadership.
• Some argue China is less centralized than assumed (significant regional autonomy under performance pressure).
• Others stress “local knowledge” limits of central planning, though examples like South Korea and China suggest it can work under some conditions.
• EU vs US: EU seen as over‑decentralized in execution (vetoes, consensus requirements), US as more centralized in federal decision-making.

Why political experiments are difficult

• Experiments create entrenched constituencies (agencies, NGOs, contractors) that fight cancellation and frame results as partial success.
• Safety problem: political experiments can harm real people; some policies require full-scale rollout due to network effects (immunization, public transit).
• Governments do run experiments (e.g., UBI pilots, state-level US policies), but leaders often ignore evidence in favor of ideology or think‑tank “policy‑based evidence.”

Democracy, polarization, and interests

• Many issues become culture wars (transit, climate, healthcare), blocking reform until crisis.
• Voters often tie identity to parties; two‑party systems force all-or-nothing choices.
• Billionaires, media, and social platforms are seen as amplifying conflict and defending status quo interests.
• Some see local opposition (NIMBYs, protected professions like notaries) as major blockers even without billionaire influence.

What counts as “improvement”

• Societies are heterogeneous; policies usually help some groups and hurt others.
• Disagreement on whether net gains justify new or ongoing harms to minorities.
• Economy vs ecology framed by several as a false dichotomy; many policies (transit, bikes, land value tax, renewables/nuclear) could benefit both.

Known solutions vs implementation failure

• Commenters argue many “experiments” aren’t needed: extensive evidence for walkability, mass transit, basic healthcare, some drug reforms, etc.
• Main barrier is political will and incentives, not ignorance.
• Politicians and executives are punished for admitting failure (“flip‑flopping”), encouraging big, irreversible bets and denial instead of iterative learning.
• Several note that systems optimize for the incentives they actually have, not for abstract “societal improvement.”