Jens 'n' Frens
Idle thoughts of a relatively libertarian Republican in Cambridge, MA, and whomever he invites. Mostly political.
"A strong conviction that something must be done is the parent of many bad measures." -- Daniel Webster
Thursday, October 05, 2006 :::
Nominally about "Why Politicians Can't Judge Innovation", this reminds me of Newt Gingrich's beach volleyball speech, which I have always been unique in thinking is one of the greatest political speeches ever given. I think, though, that this has better (and certainly broader) applications outside of "innovation policy".
What if we don't all want the median? That's the fundamental question to ask with respect to innovation policy. Government policy is not good at tolerating heterogeneity of either individual preferences or outcomes.
I sometimes quip that capitalism is more democratic than democracy, and this is essentially the point I have in mind when I say that.
