[bleepblorp]

> Why can't America build anymore? Is this a cultural problem, or a failure of public policy?

America can't build anymore because America's executives have chosen to steal every piece of wealth they can take without leaving anything behind to build for the future.

American business culture has become far more interested in zero-sum rentierism and financialization that rapidly concentrates existing wealth in the hands of the wealthy than in technological innovation that creates new wealth over the longer term.

The collapse of American industry is the entirely predictable consequence.

See also

https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevedenning/2011/11/18/clayton...

for a similar but slightly different take.

[holstvoogd]

This is a large part of the problem if you ask me.

I did some research a few years back into (somewhat unrelated) process management practices. What kinda stood out to me is that in the 50s-60s many businesses transformed their leadership. They went from having engineers that grow into their leadership positions to having dedicated managers. With business degrees.

Just speculation, but I feel this shift in management culture coincides with the loss of a lot of the technical production capabilities of the west. And is closely followed by the money-grab culture.

[chii]

> engineers that grow into their leadership positions .. to having dedicated managers. With business degrees.

this also happens in software companies i feel.

The underlying issue, i suspect, is that engineers are not "people persons" - less able to manoeuvre politically, and "play the game". But in any societal organization, those who can play the political game can win.

Thus, the dedicated managers end up in those positions. They play the political game, and they get rewarded for it - because they control the reward scheme when they get to those high positions.

Meritocracy is an illusion that gets used by those playing a political game to make engineers feel they are not part of the game.