? I mean sure, in some countries instead of waiting 6 months for a permit, you can pay the guy at the side door to skip the line and get it in a week/etc.
But how is that any different than many of the things we do in the USA too, like for example in Austin, TX right now there is a ~4 month wait to take a driving test, but you can pay a 3rd party who will help you along in the process and "test" you, and then tell the DMV they have tested you, so you can get your license in a week or so. Or Clear at the airport.
It all pay to play, the difference in the US is that we call them "public private partnerships" or other nonsense which ends up being a bribe to someone in the know who can accelerate the process. We pretend that clear is somehow more secure/etc than the interview and fingerprint global entry process (wait time ~9 months). Or that the 1+ year waiting periods to get a site plan approval, sped up if you know a council man, isn't just corruption.
And in many cases these wait times are directly the result of funding cuts/etc to each and every organization, by a party that insists that government is inefficient, despite frequently being patently false. If I paid even half of the $500 fee I payed to the private driving instructor to the DMV they would be swimming in money to test people.
It’s the regulatory capture that really imposes drag on innovation and actual growth. Oligopolies cement their position by lobbying for legislation that essentially pulls the ladder up behind them.
Argentina doesn’t really seem like the most salient example though because it’s a pretty unique country. On the other hand, Hungary’s backsliding into autocracy (and the reverence of certain western political groups towards its government) is a real cautionary tale for other countries.
Having lived in the US, while I admit that the entire premise of the article is wrong (I wrote a rebuttal below), modern Argentinian bureaucracy is actually much better than in many parts of the US.
> If you think the US is bad try starting a business... ...in literally any other country
...other than New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Denmark, or South Korea, as of the 2020 Ease of Doing Business Report, as all these countries were ranked higher than the US :)
bequanna|3 years ago
If you think the US is bad try starting a business, securing licensure, or navigating the judicial system in literally any other country.
StillBored|3 years ago
But how is that any different than many of the things we do in the USA too, like for example in Austin, TX right now there is a ~4 month wait to take a driving test, but you can pay a 3rd party who will help you along in the process and "test" you, and then tell the DMV they have tested you, so you can get your license in a week or so. Or Clear at the airport.
It all pay to play, the difference in the US is that we call them "public private partnerships" or other nonsense which ends up being a bribe to someone in the know who can accelerate the process. We pretend that clear is somehow more secure/etc than the interview and fingerprint global entry process (wait time ~9 months). Or that the 1+ year waiting periods to get a site plan approval, sped up if you know a council man, isn't just corruption.
And in many cases these wait times are directly the result of funding cuts/etc to each and every organization, by a party that insists that government is inefficient, despite frequently being patently false. If I paid even half of the $500 fee I payed to the private driving instructor to the DMV they would be swimming in money to test people.
dc-programmer|3 years ago
Argentina doesn’t really seem like the most salient example though because it’s a pretty unique country. On the other hand, Hungary’s backsliding into autocracy (and the reverence of certain western political groups towards its government) is a real cautionary tale for other countries.
Daishiman|3 years ago
EdwardDiego|3 years ago
...other than New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Denmark, or South Korea, as of the 2020 Ease of Doing Business Report, as all these countries were ranked higher than the US :)