Posted: Dec 28, 2016 12:55 pm
I was referring to the Netherlands. I have spent the last two years contracted to the government and I can assure you, it is an endemic waste-factory. What takes the average commercial enterprise to do, takes the government ten times as long and I am being serious. I have heard a department head in essence say that there is little concern about being thrifty or economic with budgets as the money will keep rolling in.
Commercial enterprises have to innovate and be efficient or go under. In government, rocking the boat is frowned upon. Suggesting economies, doing things differently to be efficient and more productive is to suggest running the risk of embarrassing the ministers or senior civil servants (if things go wrong) with the knowledge that success will not even bring a pat on the back.
The pillared departmental system here makes it impossible to consolidate and benefit from economies of scale.
In the recent past, prior to the crisis, the social parties went bonkers with the care system. The current governmental line is "the participation community" where we all start looking out for one another instead of the state chucking money at expensive individual care. "Den Haag" knows how to throw money away.