You get what you pay for...

Posted By Stephen M. Walt Wednesday, June 17, 2009 - 8:42 PM Share

While visiting Geneva last week, I was reminded of how well many aspects of public infrastructure work in Europe. Geneva is beautiful, clean, and the transport system seemed to be a model of efficiency and convenience. I took a public bus to the airport, which entailed walking one block from my hotel to the bus stop and then riding a clean and inexpensive bus for about 20 minutes, ending up right at the terminal. The Geneva and Zurich airports are gleaming, uncrowded, and comfortable. To get from my home to the airport via public transit in Boston, I'd have to walk 12 minutes to a T stop, ride a slow, crowded, and erratic trolley line (the dreaded "Green Line") into downtown, change twice, and then take an airport shuttle bus to reach the terminal. And Boston's Logan Airport, though better than it used to be, isn’t going to win any prizes. Let's not even talk about rail service or health care.

Maybe the differences in public infrastructure between Western Europe and the United States have something to do with the amount of money we spend constructing a different sort of "public infrastructure" in Iraq, Afghanistan, and lots of other places around the world.

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DORSINATOR

11:03 PM ET

June 17, 2009

might there be other reasons?

Perhaps the tax rates and more compact geography contribute to this? Perhaps the fact that they are neutral and don't need to spend as significant a portion of their GDP on defense? Perhaps that their regional security is functionally subsidized by the U.S. via NATO?

BRETT

2:15 AM ET

June 18, 2009

Perhaps the tax rates and

Perhaps the tax rates and more compact geography contribute to this?

Maybe in Switzerland's case, since so much of their countryside is mountainous. That's not so much the case in the rest of Europe - it's not as if everyone in Europe is packed shoulder to shoulder. There are large stretches of rural areas.

I'd attribute most of this in Europe in general to high gas taxes. It's a strong incentive to minimize car use, and design cities around public transit.

Perhaps the fact that they are neutral and don't need to spend as significant a portion of their GDP on defense?

That's probably part of it.

Perhaps that their regional security is functionally subsidized by the U.S. via NATO?

This isn't really true. The Swiss have been pretty neutral no matter what since at least the 20th century - they were neutral and independent during World War 2, when Nazi Germany was sitting on the rest of North and Central Europe.

Maybe the differences in public infrastructure between Western Europe and the United States have something to do with the amount of money we spend constructing a different sort of "public infrastructure" in Iraq, Afghanistan, and lots of other places around the world.

That's part of it. The other reason is that the US more or less let a "car culture" just emerge after World War 2, due to cheap gasoline and cars.

M. N. SILVA

10:36 AM ET

June 18, 2009

The Helvetic Confederation is NOT Western Europe

Many Americans fall into the trap of extrapolating what happens in Switzerland and Denmark to the rest of Europe...

Try using public transports in Italy or Greece!

Try the public services bureaucracy in France or Poland!

The Genevas, Andorras and Copenhagens are the exceptions!

The rule is Paris and Rome.

APARICIO

11:02 AM ET

June 18, 2009

I have tryied it, several times

I do not know technical details on France healthcare system, but once I had an experience with it....it was a really good experience (then, I stop repeating all the typical cliches about France´s bureaucracy)

The public transportation in Paris, though crowded, is really good, or at least ten times better than public transportation on San Diego, Miami or New York (also I talk on personal experience). The same for Rome (I got admit is not that good on European standards, but excelent on US standards).

Best metro ever, Madrid´s!!!

PD I am not European.

APARICIO

11:10 AM ET

June 18, 2009

I agree

I always say that is almost unbeleivable that a state such as California has virtually no public transportation system. Once it took me one hour to get from Mission Beach to San Diego´s downtown. In Florida, you are lost without a car, and NYC has thest horrible and complex metro system ever.

US Government spends billions of dollars overseas on infrastruture and military aid. What if the money from the "war against drugs" would had been invested in railroads instead than in buying helicopter and weapons to the Colombian army.

JAMIET

12:18 PM ET

June 18, 2009

"Maybe the differences in

"Maybe the differences in public infrastructure between Western Europe and the United States have something to do with the amount of money we spend constructing a different sort of "public infrastructure" in Iraq, Afghanistan, and lots of other places around the world. "

what an unbelievably dimwitted statement. what are you, a high school exchange student?

PETER N W

6:02 PM ET

June 18, 2009

I would say Junior High student

It would be funny if it weren't so sad.