tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5404820640426099135.post1417719340562939222..comments2023-10-31T00:46:35.316+13:00Comments on Anti-Dismal: How not to organise an industryPaul Walkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13731003529546075700noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5404820640426099135.post-80639884432058406332010-03-04T18:17:01.168+13:002010-03-04T18:17:01.168+13:00I agree, Paul. If something is that good, people w...I agree, Paul. If something is that good, people will want to do it and govt won't have to pass legislation. But politicians just can't resist being seen to be doing something.<br /><br />One of my heroes is U.S. president Warren Harding, who when Americans were faced with an economic depression in 1920, chose to womanise, drink, play poker and "bloviate". True laissez-faire.Richard McGrathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11485082980018421590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5404820640426099135.post-21986400042370073082010-02-15T04:11:00.491+13:002010-02-15T04:11:00.491+13:00I'm not sure how it works in New Zealand, but ...I'm not sure how it works in New Zealand, but in America there are both individual, private taxi services and services which own fleets of vehicles and hire drivers. In the latter case wouldn't most of those positive externalities be dealt with if the fleet services took the lead? Granted, in that scenario, criminals may start to look toward the smaller, individually owned and operated rides, but it would substantially minimize the risk overall.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5404820640426099135.post-85687080304801451432010-02-12T08:35:14.897+13:002010-02-12T08:35:14.897+13:00While I fully agree that private incentives in thi...While I fully agree that private incentives in this case should go a long way towards an optimal outcome, one could argue that there are positive externalities to installing the safety equipment that aren't realized unless a large majority of the drivers participate. If potential criminals knew that all taxis had cameras and such, they might stay away from that market entirely rather than take a gamble on whether they can anonymously attack a taxi driver.<br /><br />That said, it would be more reasonable to see what drivers do on their own before deciding what the "correct" regulation looks like.Economists Do It With Modelshttp://www.economistsdoitwithmodels.comnoreply@blogger.com