Capital Concepts as Insights into the Maintenance and Neglect of Infrastructure.
The writer discusses why government fails to maintain the components of of “public infrastructure” once they are in existence. Publicly owned infrastructure, including roads, bridges, water and sewage systems, streets, and schools, is often neglected in comparison to privately owned infrastructure....
| Publicado en: | Independent Review Vol. 15; no. 1; pp. 35 - 52 |
|---|---|
| Autor principal: | |
| Formato: | Artículo |
| Publicado: |
Independent Institute
Summer 2010
|
| Materias: | |
| Acceso en línea: | Ver este registro en EBSCOhost |
| Sumario: | The writer discusses why government fails to maintain the components of of “public infrastructure” once they are in existence. Publicly owned infrastructure, including roads, bridges, water and sewage systems, streets, and schools, is often neglected in comparison to privately owned infrastructure. This pattern points to systemic failure. Two essentially metaphorical concepts of capital can aid in understanding the neglect of public infrastructure. The first is the misleading presumption that public infrastructure may be viewed as “public capital.” The second can be observed in the actions of public officials seeking to enhance the “political and bureaucratic capital” represented by their own personal career objectives. Examination of these concepts reveals a virtually certain “government failure” in the maintenance of public-infrastructure facilities and suggests that the ownership and maintenance of such facilities should never be placed within the government's scope of responsibility. |
|---|