This is a topic I have been thinking over for some time. It is disheartening to see that breaking rule is becoming a norm across our country. As per a recent news article that is what even the government is observing. We dont need anybody's statement to testify this as we see it all around us. This post is an attempt at understanding why the law of the land is broken?
Let us first try to understand why laws or rules are brought into place. A rule is an attempt to make the playing field level. It identifies a set of criteria based on which decisions will be taken in a system. Forming a queue is the simplest form of rule. It identifies first come first serve basis for serving a person, no parking zones are meant to be kept free for free traffic flow so on an so forth. Becauase rules are more like cartels. The member who deviates has an incentive to do so than what he would achieve by staying in the cartel. There are certain market conditions in which cartels work. I will not get into the details of what cartels are (follow the link for that).
But lets see how industry avoid or tries avoiding breaking of a cartel.
First of all and most importantly, every member can be a whistle blower. Which does not happen efficiently in case of rules or laws. Every law abiding citizen should bring to light a violation because it is more like someone is reaping the benifit of breaking a cartel and stealing a part of the common public good that a cartel pomises. Secondly the cost associated with breaking of a cartel should be very high. A part of the punishment should be that you shouldnt be taken back into the system untill you spend sufficient time outside it or pay a hefty financial penalty. For example if you are seen building an extra floor over and above the permissible limit, your construction license should be cancelled for say 5 years. The punishment should be greater than the benefit one derives out of breaking a carltel.
Why do you think this wont work?
Let us first try to understand why laws or rules are brought into place. A rule is an attempt to make the playing field level. It identifies a set of criteria based on which decisions will be taken in a system. Forming a queue is the simplest form of rule. It identifies first come first serve basis for serving a person, no parking zones are meant to be kept free for free traffic flow so on an so forth. Becauase rules are more like cartels. The member who deviates has an incentive to do so than what he would achieve by staying in the cartel. There are certain market conditions in which cartels work. I will not get into the details of what cartels are (follow the link for that).
But lets see how industry avoid or tries avoiding breaking of a cartel.
First of all and most importantly, every member can be a whistle blower. Which does not happen efficiently in case of rules or laws. Every law abiding citizen should bring to light a violation because it is more like someone is reaping the benifit of breaking a cartel and stealing a part of the common public good that a cartel pomises. Secondly the cost associated with breaking of a cartel should be very high. A part of the punishment should be that you shouldnt be taken back into the system untill you spend sufficient time outside it or pay a hefty financial penalty. For example if you are seen building an extra floor over and above the permissible limit, your construction license should be cancelled for say 5 years. The punishment should be greater than the benefit one derives out of breaking a carltel.
Why do you think this wont work?
Comments
Cartel:A small group of producers of a good or service who agree to regulate supply in an effort to control or manipulate prices.
An association in which producers of a similar or identical product try to obtain a monopoly over the sale of the product.
The best known example of a cartel is probably the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
Its easy for someone to break a cartle, coz of few simple reasons,,,,say among a group, there is a set of rule which everyone is ought to follow,to achive a good profit from the market, which happens a lot in the pharma industry, where everyone who has the same generic product fixes a price...and no one is suppose to sell below this agreed price....as the product has a shelf life, and it will tend to expiry, if u have still got stock, and havent been able to sell at the agreed price as others, coz of ur poor marketing,,,,u will then try to win by reducing the price,,and undercut other,,,, well u will be forced to this, if u do not wont to suffer a massive loss...as the product will otherwise end in expiry and waste...
We live in a society in which there are too many tedious, senseless rules with consequences way greater than the "offense." You may think that a consequence way greater than the offence will "teach" rule breakers to quit breaking rules and comply to your self-emposed status quo, but if they don't even know they're breaking a tedious little unknown rule, is it worth it that their life can be ruined by consequences? And yes, consequences can be extreme. Think of someone who's car is towed because it is where it shouldn't be. Is it fair they have to pay $600 in fees? You know, there are a large chunk of people living just a couple paychecks away from living on the streets. That person who's car got towed can be one of them. How does that make you people of "power" in society feel to know that you ruined someone's life? And don't give me this crap that "Oh, it's their responsibility, not mine." Deep down you probably do care and feel awful. You just disconnect yourself form that feeling so you don't feel as responsible. Let's face it: nobody wants to feel responsible for someone else's pain. That's a blow to our fragile self-esteem. It's considered noble to be known as a caring person, yet believing you hurt someone's life makes you feel like you're not caring, so you disconnect that belief. As average citizens in society, we have just as much say in how things function as "you people in power." Even though you may command more respect from the blind sheep of society who cannot think on their own two feet, you are really no better than us. You can argue that "this is a democracy; people vote people in," but is it really? Many people, yes, are blind sheep that know no other way than to follow "authority" and "not challenge the status quo." It has been brainwashed into their heads how society is supposed to be, according to you people "in power." If people were truly given free choice, though, I bet you that not one person would elect to live their life by numerous, tedious, unknown, self-limiting little rules.
The point I'm trying to make is that when people say "You should follow the rules," they do not take into account that those "rules" were made up by mere humans, who, as mere humans, are no better than the mere humans expected to follow the rules. Why should one mere human, who is no better than the other mere human, be obligated to be controlled by other mere humans?
And yes, I'm an extreme liberal.
You beaurocrats are what is wrong with society.