On Klein on Construction

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Brian Potter
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In the New York Times, Ezra Klein investigated the recent Goolsbee and Syverson paper on construction productivity we recently looked at. Klein suggests that the stagnation in construction productivity might be the result of organized special interests increasingly leveraging their influence over var...

In the New York Times, Ezra Klein investigated the recent Goolsbee and Syverson paper on construction productivity we recently looked at. Klein suggests that the stagnation in construction productivity might be the result of organized special interests increasingly leveraging their influence over various parts of the construction process. This shows up as more complex and difficult to accommodate regulations, and groups whose approval must be secured (often at great expense) to get something built. While all sectors display this to some extent, construction, by virtue of the number of stakeholders involved (local residents, politicians, zoning boards, etc.) might show it more than others. Here’s Klein:

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Noah Smith 3mos

Another really excellent post on construction productivity from the great @_brianpotter. Upshot: NIMBYism is a big problem, but there's something else holding back construction productivity, and we don't know what it is yet.

Matthew C. Klein 3mos

Another excellent analysis from @_brianpotter on the mystery of falling productivity in construction: