[protonfish]

I think there is a difference between "informal" corruption (where some officials need to be bribed) and the "institutionalized" corruption of a monolithic and completely unnecessary bureaucracy. At least in the first instance, there is a path to get things done. European bureaucracy is a tar pit where innovative business goes to die.

[danjac]

> European bureaucracy is a tar pit where innovative business goes to die.

There are 27/28 economies in the EU alone, ranging from Sweden to Greece, with very different cultures, laws and bureaucratic competencies, some of whom have successfully incubated very innovative businesses.

[jririi82zxn]

Yet they often have a higher quality of life, universal access to social services, and afford the general public longer periods of economic stability relative to the shitshow the US descends into every 4-8 yrs.

Perhaps innovative business (which I translate to “how to enrich myself via an ephemeral finance system without adding much new utility” these days”) isn’t a great target for governments to enable.

Social pressure downward to abide the desires of a minority of elites before the public used to be called authoritarianism, and it used to be reviled. Just because it lacks the overt violence of yesterday doesn’t mean it isn’t manipulative and damaging to society.

Profits are up. So is inequality.