Infrastructure

When Disaster Strikes 1 Part 1: Disasters Don't Create Inequality-They Reveal It 2 Part 2: Why Some Cities Burn (And Others Don't) 3 Part 3: The Sacrifice Calculus 4 Part 4: Elite Disaster Strategies 5 Part 5: Famine and Political Power 6 Part 6: Earthquakes and Governance 7 Part 7: Pandemic Politics 8 Part 8: Why We Forget ← Series Home Key Takeaways Earthquake mortality is a measure of governance: Well-governed societies experience the same earthquakes but far fewer deaths. Building codes are political documents: They represent the balance between safety, cost, and political pressure—often favoring developers over residents. Earthquakes reveal hidden corruption: When buildings collapse that shouldn't have, the gap between law and practice becomes literally visible. Seismic events can catalyze political change: The 1755 Lisbon earthquake helped birth the Enlightenment; modern earthquakes continue to reshape politics. The Governance Test On February 27, 2010, an 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck Chile—one of the largest ever recorded. Despite its enormous power, the earthquake killed approximately 500 people. ...

Beyond the Flat World 1 Beyond the Flat World - Part 1: The Hidden Geography of Commerce: Why Globalization Is a Myth and Regionalism Is the Reality 2 Beyond the Flat World - Part 2: Shipping Containers, Satellites, and SWIFT: The Paradoxical Technology That Made Neighbors Stronger Than Distant Partners 3 Beyond the Flat World - Part 3: From Coal to Currency: How Europe Engineered a $17 Trillion Neighborhood Economy Through Treaties and Trust 4 Beyond the Flat World - Part 4: Factory Asia: The Invisible Supply Chains Built by Flying Geese, Conglomerates, and Cash (Not Handshakes) 5 Beyond the Flat World - Part 5: The Reluctant Triangle: Why NAFTA Couldn't Fully Integrate the U.S., Canada, and Mexico 6 Beyond the Flat World - Part 6: The Next Battleground: How 5G, Robots, and Digital Consumers Are Deepening Regional Economic Advantage 7 Beyond the Flat World - Part 7: Competing in the Regionalized World: Why Isolation Breeds Stagnation and Partnerships Promise Prosperity ← Series Home The belief that the world has become “flat” obscures the reality that global commerce is intensely regionalized, dominated by three immense economic hubs: Asia, Europe, and North America. As the forces that once drove global dispersion—cheap logistics and financial liberalization—are now overshadowed by automation, demographic shifts, and geopolitical tension, the competitive advantages of proximity are set to deepen. ...

Beyond the Tailpipe: Unmasking the EV Revolution 1 Beyond the Tailpipe: Unmasking the EV Revolution - Part 1: The Electric Lie? Unpacking the Hidden Carbon Cost of Manufacturing Your EV Battery 2 Beyond the Tailpipe: Unmasking the EV Revolution - Part 2: From Congo to Charger: Who Really Pays the Price for Clean Driving? 3 Beyond the Tailpipe: Unmasking the EV Revolution - Part 3: Subsidies, Sprawl, and $7.5 Billion: The True Cost of Electric Adoption 4 Beyond the Tailpipe: Unmasking the EV Revolution - Part 4: The Real Climate Fix: Why Better Buses Beat Buying a New Electric Car 5 Beyond the Tailpipe: Unmasking the EV Revolution - Part 5: The Road Ahead: How Better Batteries and Smarter Grids Can Deliver the EV Promise ← Series Home Electric vehicles (EVs) often promise lower operating expenses, but the economic analysis must extend beyond the individual owner’s wallet. A comprehensive view examines the “total cost of adopting an EV,” which includes the substantial financial burdens borne by society and governments. This societal cost includes massive infrastructure investments, future fiscal crises, and highly regressive public subsidies. The current financial model for mass EV adoption relies heavily on socializing infrastructure costs while privatizing benefits for affluent users. ...

The Statue of Liberty’s iron armature, designed by Gustave Eiffel to withstand New York Harbor’s winds, was discovered in 1982 to be turning to powder. A century of salt air and moisture had triggered a galvanic reaction between the copper and iron, expanding the metal ribs until they literally “pried” the rivets apart. The Lady of Liberty was not just aging; she was being consumed by a relentless electrochemical tax that humans have spent centuries trying to evade. ...