Fake Work

“The Broken Window Fallacy” is used to show that you can’t create prosperity through destruction. Fake jobs like the private security industry aren’t creators of prosperity. A step forward with money over barter was that I don’t need what you are selling, if you want what I am selling. Money will suffice. The Broken Window idea is that by breaking something, I need to pay to get it fixed, and so it starts a chain of events that gets people working. Except. You can’t see what would have happened anyway. How the money would have been spent. There is however still a very real coordination problem. People who could be working who can’t find work. Needs we don’t know we have, and people with the skills and knowledge to meet them who we aren’t connected with. People with potential but no support. Finding clients. Finding the money for the things we need. An understanding problem. A communication problem. A funding problem. We don’t need to break things to see, but we do have to look and listen.

Fake Work doesn't create prosperity