US infrastructure construction is routinely 3 - 10x more expensive [1][2][3] on a like-for-like basis compared to other developed nations. This is one of the biggest facts that even well educated people seem completely unaware of, despite it foundationally shaping the debate around infrastructure investment.
The primary cause appears to be the way the US solicits and manages infrastructure projects which leads to massive bloat and inefficiency.
> US infrastructure construction is routinely 3 - 10x more expensive on a like-for-like basis compared to other developed nations.
> The primary cause appears to be the way the US solicits and manages infrastructure projects which leads to massive bloat and inefficiency.
This is depressing. What can we, as voters or political donors or investors or entrepreneurs, do to fix it?
The US has well organized and effective political advocacy groups for a number of causes. For example, there's one whose sole focus is maximizing people's gun rights.
We need one for ending bureaucratic bloat, corruption, rent seeking and pork. A group whose sole goal is to fix government so we can get projects done cleanly and on time and at reasonable cost.
The primary cause appears to be the way the US solicits and manages infrastructure projects which leads to massive bloat and inefficiency.
[1] https://pedestrianobservations.wordpress.com/2011/05/16/us-r...
[2] https://pedestrianobservations.wordpress.com/2013/06/03/comp...
[3] http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2012-08-26/u-s-taxpaye...