[dsfyu404ed]

Compare the culture of the respective locations and it's obvious why the Netherlands had the better outcome.

The feedback loops are all wrong for getting a high value tunnel under Boston. They are at least less wrong in "beer Europe"[0] + Scandinavia.

Massachusetts government "pays itself first" Massachusetts people consider the problem unsolvable and tolerates it. Netherlands and the adjacent parts of Europe (i.e I make no claims about construction projects in Italy) generally takes a hard line against anything that's not "pro-social" so heads would roll if politicians and bureaucrats misused their public works on graft like the Massholes do.

Source: Masshole who geeks out on government accountability

[0]https://eu.greekreporter.com/files/tearing-europe-apart1.jpg

[edejong]

Love that illustration. Do you have a source? I'd like to pay attribution when I share it elsewhere.

[roel_v]

It's from this book: https://www.amazon.com/Atlas-Prejudice-Chasing-Horizons-Vol/... .

[new2628]

It is a nice illustration, but they really missed an opportunity to include a fourth quadrant for "fruit brandy Europe". It would cover most of the Balkans and SE Europe, on the current dividing line between vodka and wine.

It also makes a lot of sense: fruit brandies are made of fruit like wine, but are as strong as vodka.