It is large organizations, not govt vs corps/investors.
See Bullshit Work [1] and empire building [2]. They exist in any large org, since the typical incentives for management to advance are to grow a larger headcount under their 'management'.
Of course this is a similar level to measure progress of designing and building an airplane by how much it weighs. But the fact that this management rule is fundamentally stupid does not prevent executives or politicians from using it because it is easier to measure heads and payroll than actual productivity.
Large organizations can fail though, so there is an upper limit to inefficiency; governments can't, so the limit to inefficiency (and corruption) is virtually non-existing.
Moreover, in functioning democracies, turnover happens frequently, and there are checks and balances that help keep it in line, including a free press which just loves to expose waste and inefficiency whenever it can.
Also notice that the events in TFA occurred in the area of Italy that is roughly the birthplace of their organized crime syndicates.
This is the kind of thing that happens when governments become dysfunctional, and are captured by authoritarians and/or criminals, not a normally functioning democratic government.
Also note that it is a particularly egregious and spectacular example and makes news, not the ordinary everyday operations.
> Also notice that the events in TFA occurred in the area of Italy that is roughly the birthplace of their organized crime syndicates.
The country subject of the article - Italy - is extremely inefficient (I don't doubt that there is worse, of course). Absenteism is relatively tolerated; it's not correct that it's a product of organized crime. Sadly, it's a very simple phenomenon of a system without the checks and balances yo mention.
I've observed it first hand, and the absenteist was even open about it - they were actually bragging about it (I'm not joking). I remember another employee waiting to be transferred to another (specific) city, so that he could "do nothing all the day".
> Moreover, in functioning democracies, turnover happens frequently
> This is the kind of thing that happens when governments become dysfunctional, and are captured by authoritarians and/or criminals, not a normally functioning democratic government.
Italy can still be classified as a democracy nonetheless, and it's not going to fail because of inefficiency and corruption.
A company as efficient as the Italian's administration would not survive in a free market, without any doubt.
See Bullshit Work [1] and empire building [2]. They exist in any large org, since the typical incentives for management to advance are to grow a larger headcount under their 'management'.
Of course this is a similar level to measure progress of designing and building an airplane by how much it weighs. But the fact that this management rule is fundamentally stupid does not prevent executives or politicians from using it because it is easier to measure heads and payroll than actual productivity.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullshit_Jobs [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empire-building