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Notes -
This isn't well developed enough for a main thread post, but it's something I've been mulling around lately.
Are we too hard on small scale corruption from politicians? Politicians motivated by implementing their grand vision seems like they'll screw things up. If they're motivated by accolades from their ideological group members it can also lead to bad things. A guy who wants to keep things running smoothly so he can skim a little doesn't sound too bad in comparison.
This is partly motivated by thinking about the housing situation in Ontario (Canada). Various interests have collided to create a continuing housing bubble. Many politicians have invested in rental units. Municipal governments have shifted to development fees to avoid property tax increases. The urban left has been fighting for no housing until there's enough subsidized affordable housing for the needy, ie them. No one puts pressure on the bureaucrats at various levels of government to approve things. Trudeau has been brining in vast numbers of immigrants despite the housing shortage to keep the bubble going.
Here's my idea. On top of the rent, each unit has to pay a monthly $30 fee. $10 for their municipal, provincial, and federal representative. This money goes straight into the politicians bank account.
Suddenly politicians will have an interest in getting new rental housing on the market.
I think the one of the hidden major issues behind small-scale corruption is one of knowledge. The simple fact of the matter is that, for example, a real estate businessman on the city council will know more about city and country rules about building and zoning than fellow members, unless they try very hard to educate themselves. Thus the businessman, despite some ethical issues, is going to present as more of an "expert".
My related idea would be to maybe make a few selected statistics printed in the voter's guide right alongside the candidates, so people can look for themselves at the median city rent or total housing capacity over time and factor that into their voting. Maybe there are other alignment solutions, like requiring conflict of interest disclosures by candidates?
Rewarding representatives for hitting certain number targets seems like not a horrible idea, but I think that would run some of the issues inherent in making local government run more like a corporation. Sure, there are more efficiencies, but it also runs the risk of other types of misalignment. Choosing the right benchmarks would be a significant undertaking.
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